ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Pink Ribbon Produce, a breast cancer prevention and fundraising program lead by advertising agency AugustineIdeas, honored retail and produce partners for their donations and commitment to the program at the 2013 PMA Fresh Summit. Together, with the help of more than 500 Harris Teeter, Meijer and Price Chopper stores and their produce vendors, Pink Ribbon Produce has been able to raise over $400,000 for the fight against breast cancer since 2006.
During the Produce Marketing Association’s convention on Saturday, Oct. 19, over 25 produce suppliers were recognized at the SUNSET® Produce booth: AugustineIdeas presented awards to Meijer, Harris Teeter and Price Chopper store produce partners.
Mark Stevenson with Meijer kicked off the award ceremony presenting Meijer’s Outstanding Charitable Giving Award to Dole® and Pero Family Farms. Produce partners recognized for their participation included: Dole® Salads, SUNSET® Produce, Southern Specialties, Bolthouse Farms, Pero Family Farms, Paramount Citrus, NewStar, Highline Mushrooms, NatureSweet®, Rainier® Fruit Company and DNE World Fruit Sales.
Awards for Harris Teeter’s Pink Ribbon Produce Program’s Five Year Participant Award went to Sunlight International Sales and Earthbound Farm®. Harris Teeter’s 2013 Top Donor Award went to Earthbound Farm®. Recognized produce participants included: Country Fresh, Apio, Sunlight International, Naturally Fresh, Natures Way/Farmers Market, Dole® Pineapple, Fresh Express®, Wholly Guacamole and Gurda GardensTM.
Price Chopper presented their Five Year Participant Award to Dole® and Fowler Packing. The 2013 Top Donor Award went to SUNSET® Produce and Dole®. Produce participants recognized by Price Chopper included SUNSET® Produce, Turbana, Fowler Packing, Bushwick Potato Commission, Santa Sweets® and Dole® Salads.
In addition to the award ceremony, first year Pink Ribbon Produce participant, Pero Family Farms, presented $33,500 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® (NBCF) as their contribution to the campaign.
Over the last 8 years, AugustineIdeas has organized and executed the cause-marketing in-store program to support the fight against breast cancer. The prevention campaign is designed to help spread awareness and support for the NBCF and Pink Ribbon Produce, which promotes healthy habits to reduce the risk of many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with a focus on breast cancer. During the month of October, stores direct shoppers to the participating produce suppliers with a Pink Ribbon Produce program icon on posters and point-of-sale signs next to the product. The money raised supports NBCF and goes back into the community by providing mammograms and educational programs to help save the lives of thousands of women.
New to this year’s campaign is an educational component, the Fresh Plate Challenge. With the use of social media, Pink Ribbon Produce encourages consumers to “Take the Fresh Plate Challenge” and fill half of their plate with fresh fruits and vegetables. A free Fresh Plate Challenge Guide is available at www.pinkribbonproduce.org.
“Pink Ribbon Produce is in its eighth year and we are so proud to have the opportunity to continue our support for the National Breast Cancer Foundation,” said Debbie Augustine, chief executive officer of AugustineIdeas. “Encouraging healthy eating with the Fresh Plate Challenge is an easy way to give back while bettering yourself at the same time.”
The Fresh Plate Challenge campaign utilizes the Pink Ribbon Produce website and social media channels to encourage and educate consumers to live healthy while promoting awareness and support for breast cancer. The campaign features an Instagram photo contest and other interactive activities using hashtags #PinkOctober, #BreastCancerAwareness, #FreshPlate and #PinkRibbon. Contest winners will receive a retailer gift card and a donation to NBCF in their name.
For more information about Pink Ribbon Produce, their partners, and ways to donate, please visit pinkribbonproduce.org or follow Pink Ribbon Produce on Twitter @PinkRibbon and become a fan at www.facebook.com/PinkRibbonProduce.
About the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.®
Recognized as one of the leading breast cancer organizations in the world, the National Breast Cancer Foundation's (NBCF) mission is to save lives through early detection and to provide mammograms for those in need. A recipient of Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating for eight years, NBCF provides women "Help for Today…Hope for Tomorrow®" through its National Mammography Program, Beyond The Shock®, Early Detection Plan, MyNBCF online support community, and breast cancer research programs. For more information, please visit www.nbcf.org.
Harris Teeter
Harris Teeter Inc., with headquarters in Matthews, N.C., is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc. Harris Teeter is the 24th largest supermarket in the U.S. with 2011 sales of $4.29 billion. The regional grocery chain employs approximately 25,000 associates and operates stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, Delaware, Florida and the District of Columbia.
Meijer
Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 199 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As a pioneer of the “one-stop shopping” concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings. Additional information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more can be found at www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @Meijer or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.
Price Chopper Supermarkets
Based in Schenectady, NY, the Golub Corporation owns and operates 130 Price Chopper grocery stores in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The American owned, family managed company prides itself on longstanding traditions of innovative food merchandising, leadership in community service, and cooperative employee relations. Golub’s 23,000 teammates collectively own 52% of the company’s privately held stock, making it one of the nation’s largest privately held corporations that is predominantly employee owned. For additional information, visit www.pricechopper.com.
AugustineIdeas
AugustineIdeas is a nontraditional global agency with 16 years of experience providing branding, digital strategy, creative services, social media marketing, public relations, graphic design, shopper marketing and retail activation to clients in a diverse range of industries. The firm is one of the largest and most competitive in Northern California and has more than 40 employees. For more information, visit http://www.augustineideas.com/ or follow us on Twitter at @AugustineIdeas.
Source: Pink Ribbon Produce
