Orlando, FL – Harps Food Stores kicked off their 2022 Produce for Kids cause marketing campaign with a donation check celebrating the success of the 2021 campaign, which provided 80,000 *meals to four Feeding America® food banks in the Harps market area. The Harps campaign is part of the larger Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) Springfield Division campaign; including Pyramid Foods, Town & Country Inc, Woods Supermarkets, and G&W Foods Inc.; which has benefitted Feeding America® food banks in Arkansas and Missouri with 890,000 meals since 2017.
The 2022 campaign will see the return of the award-winning Produce for Kids Fridays program. In addition to in-store signage featuring healthy, easy meal inspiration for families, the produce teams will be serving as campaign ambassadors wearing Fruits & Veggies & Giving Back T-shirts every Friday while giving out $1 produce bucks coupons to families so they can try new fruits and vegetables.
“We are moving into our fifth year of the Produce for Kids campaign. I’m impressed with the ways we’ve continued to reinvent the program year over year as our goals and shopper evolves,” said Mike Roberts, vice president of produce operations at Harps. “Giving back is a core value for us and making an impact in the fight against hunger in our communities is paramount.”
Produce partners supporting the AWG Springfield Produce for Kids cause marketing campaign include Chelan Fresh®, Crispy Green, DOLE®, Eat Smart®, Greenridge Fruit, Halos, Litehouse®, Michigan Apple Committee, organicgirl, PEELZ, POM, Shuman Farms RealSweet®, Red Sun Farms, River Fresh Farms, RPE, Sage®, SamSonS grapes, Sunkist®, Tasteful Selections®, West Pak Avocado, Wonderful® Pistachios, and ¡Yo Quiero! Brands.
The 2022 partners will be featured on the backs of t-shirts worn by produce staff on Produce for Kids Fridays starting this summer as well as being highlighted in weekly ad support, social media, virtual cooking classes, a digital eCookbook as well as in-store signage featuring recipe ideas.
“We are fortunate to have been able to make new and exciting additions to this campaign each year,” said Lesley Daniels, director of account development at Healthy Family Project. “Our data continues to show that shoppers want to make an impact with their shopping actions. Supporting the produce partners in this campaign allows shoppers to do just that while also taking home great produce brands to their families.”
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*Check presentation photo attached to email.
Pictured in photo from left to right in check presentation photo, John Shuman, founder Healthy Family Project and president Shuman Farms; Mike Roberts, vice president of produce operations Harps; Josh Rector, produce category manager Harps; Johnny White, senior sales manager Shuman Farms; Jeff Thacker, director of development Northwest Arkansas Food Bank; Julie Damer,director of marketing and communications Northwest Arkansas Food Bank; and Lesley Daniels, account development director Healthy Family Project.
*Every $1 donated to Feeding America helps secure at least 10 meals on behalf of member food banks.
About Healthy Family Project | Produce for Kids
Healthy Family Project believes in creating a healthier generation. As a cause marketing organization, Healthy Family Project creates programs, like Produce for Kids, that provide easy, fun, and inspiring recipes and healthy ideas. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Farms, Healthy Family Project has raised more than $7 million to benefit children and families and provided 12 million meals through Feeding America. To learn more about Healthy Family Project and healthy eating, visit healthyfamilyproject.com.
About Feeding America®
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.
