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Save a Lot Donates 124K Bags of Pantry Staples for Holidays

With the help and generosity of its valued customers, Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery chains in the United States, has donated 124,000 bags of much-needed, high-quality food to local charities fighting hunger as part of its Bags for a Brighter Holiday effort. Throughout November and December, Save A Lot customers across the country supported their local communities by purchasing pre-assembled bags of food that were donated to local food charities and pantries.

To further amplify the program’s impact, Save A Lot is donating an additional $10,000 in gift cards to help 50 of the participating charities with groceries.

In total, the approximately $630,000 worth of food and gift cards will feed families in need. Each bag was stocked with private label and brand name food items, including pasta, stuffing mix, canned vegetables and other pantry staples from Save A Lot. A total of 528 Save A Lot stores participated in the food donation program with 22 stores selling more than 1,000 bags, including:

  • Scottsville, KY (1407 Galletin Rd.) – 3,591 bags
  • Tampa, FL (2271 E. Bearss Ave.) – 3,153 bags
  • Chillicothe, OH (1700 Western Ave.) – 2,660 bags
  • Tyrone, PA (111 W 13th St.) – 2,245 bags
  • Dyersburg, TN (1480 US Hwy 51 Bypass E) – 1,980 bags
  • Whitwell, TN (13205 Highway 28) – 1,913 bags
  • Hagerstown, MD (1161 Maryland Ave.) – 1,749 bags
  • Blairsville, GA (117 Murphy Hwy) – 1,535 bags
  • Sparta, TN (179 Mose Dr.) – 1,422 bags
  • Mt. Vernon, KY (910 W Main St) – 1,414
  • Hazard, KY (52 Grand Vue Plaza) – 1,330 bags
  • Cumberland, MD (66 Queen City Dr) – 1,245 bags
  • Morgantown, KY (723 W GL Smith St) – 1,213 bags
  • Pickens, SC (529 Hampton Ave Hwy B) – 1,171 bags
  • Lexington, TN (421 S Broad) – 1,166 bags
  • Lafollette, TN (2010 Jacksboro Pike) – 1,165 bags
  • Ontario, NY (1250 SR 104) – 1,118 bags
  • Denver, CO (4860 Pecos St) – 1,115 bags
  • Hardinsburg, KY (996 Old Hwy 60 East) – 1,045 bags
  • Williamsburg, KY (1645 S Hwy 25 W) – 1,044 bags
  • Lafayette, TN (415 HWY 52 Bypass East) – 1,026 bags
  • Jamestown, TN (407 North Main St.) – 1,015 bags

“I’m blown away each year by the generosity of our customers,” said Mark Kotcher, senior vice president of sales & marketing. “The passion for helping others in their communities put food on the table through our annual Bags for a Brighter Holiday program is a motivator for us throughout the year. Our stores’ ability to partner with customers and charities make this huge impact possible.”

Save A Lot stores, which are locally owned and operated, are passionate about making a difference. From supporting local charities to sponsoring in-store fundraisers, product drives and events for customers, locations are committed to doing A Lot of Good. For stories and examples on ways stores are giving back year-round, please visit SaveALot.com/ALotofGood.

For more information about Save A Lot or the Bags for a Brighter Holiday program, please visit www.savealot.com.

Founded in 1977, Save A Lot is the largest independently owned and operated discount grocery store chain in the U.S., with approximately 800 stores in 32 states. True to its mission of being a hometown grocer, Save A Lot provides unmatched quality and value to local families. Customers enjoy significant savings compared to traditional grocery stores on great tasting, high quality private label brands, national brand products, USDA-inspected meat, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, and other non-food items. For more information on becoming a Save A Lot independent retail operator, visit ownasavealot.com.

For more news of interest to grocery retailers, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Fortune International Appoints Top Executives

Fortune International, LLC, the country’s leading processor, distributor and importer of quality seafood, meats and gourmet products, has appointed six senior executives to further strengthen and expand the company’s financial, operational and marketing capabilities.

Joel Jorgensen

Fortune named Joel Jorgensen as chief financial officer, Richard Deferia as chief revenue officer and Kevin Hoople as chief information officer, all reporting to President and CEO Sean O’Scannlain. The company also named Ethan Farber as vice president of marketing, Steven Gwozdz as vice president of frozen seafood and Trey Kidd as market vice president of Texas.

“We are very pleased to announce the addition of six exceptional new senior executives to our leadership, corporate and regional teams at the start of 2024,” O’Scannlain said. “We continue to attract the industry’s very best talent, which allows us to invest in and build stronger customer relationships, accelerate business momentum and drive growth into new markets. I look forward to supporting my new colleagues in their new responsibilities. This is an exciting way to start off the new year.”

Jorgensen will oversee overall financial and operational management at Fortune, as well as play a key leadership role in strategic business planning, M&A execution and integration. He brings over 15 years of financial executive experience in food distribution and packaging to Fortune.

Previously, Jorgensen was chief financial officer at B2B Industrial Packaging, LLC in Addison, Ill., where he led and supported the acquisition of 16 companies and built out the company’s leadership, treasury and HR functions. Before that, he was CFO at Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors in Detroit. He received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

Richard Deferia

Deferia will lead and support the continued national expansion of the Fortune Fish & Gourmet distribution business. He has over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant industries, starting his career as a chef before transitioning into sales and marketing. Before Fortune, Deferia spent 13 years at Sysco, starting his career as a marketing associate before working up to Regional vice president of sales mideast region.

Prior, he was an executive chef at Dockside Jack’s and JB’s Wharf in Michigan. Deferia received a degree of culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.

Kevin Hoople

Hoople will be responsible for overseeing Fortune’s IT, information security teams and strategy, with an initial focus on data collection infrastructure. He has been an IT executive in the food and distribution industries for over 20 years.

Prior to Fortune, he spent 14 years at Lawson Products, starting as a director of ERP integration & deployment and rising eventually to chief information officer. Before Lawson, Hoople spent 10 years at Reyes Holdings L.L.C. and Martin-Brower L.L.C. He received his B.A. in management computer systems from the University of Wisconsin.

Farber brings nearly 20 years of experience in brand and creative strategy, strategic planning and business insights to the company. Prior to joining Fortune, he was Senior vice president and partner in creative planning at FleishmanHillard in Chicago. Before that, he was executive vice president and U.S. head of planning at BCW Global, formerly Burson-Marsteller, for nearly six years. He is an alumnus of Bowdoin College.

Experienced in front-line retail operations, Gwozdz is a senior food industry leader with expertise across fresh commodities and other categories. Before joining Fortune, he was a category manager III of Seafood Merchandising at Stop and Shop Supermarkets. Gwozdz also spent three years as category manager III of meat merchandising at Giant Food Stores and, before that, as a manager of meat merchandising at Price Chopper/Market 32. He is an alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.

Based in the Greater Houston area, Kidd is a proven sales and operations leader with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Before joining Fortune to oversee Texas operations, he was general manager for three years at BakeMark, a manufacturer and distributor of bakery ingredients. Prior to that, he spent nearly 22 years at Sysco, rising from a marketing associate to vice president of field sales for the Southern Market. He received his B.S. in agriculture from Texas A&M University.

Fortune International, LLC, is the parent operating company of Fortune Fish & Gourmet, a full-service processor and distributor providing white-tablecloth restaurants, private clubs, elegant hotels and gourmet retail stores with the finest quality fresh, live and frozen seafood and gourmet foods. The company handles more than 18,000 unique products daily and delivers to more than 35,000 customer locations throughout the United States with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles, and nationally through FedEx and common carriers. For more information, visit www.fortunefishco.net.

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UNO Pizzeria Celebrates 80th Anniversary, National Pizza Week

National Pizza week is Jan. 14-20 and Uno Pizzeria and Grill is celebrating with deals on all styles of its amazing pizza. Uno Pizzeria and Grill is the inventor of deep dish pizza and just celebrated its 80th birthday. To mark the occasion and National Pizza Week, Unos is offering a deal a day on their different pizza styles. Each day features a different deal.

On Tuesday, Jan 16, the offering is Detroit Style Pizza with a BOGO .80 cents deal. Buy one small Detroit style pizza (cheese or pepperoni) and receive a second for only .80 cents. Available for take-out and dine-in. Available at select locations only. Limit one deal per guest.

On Wednesday, Jan. 17, the deal is $6 individual cheese or pepperoni thin crust pizzas. Available for take-out and dine-in. Limit 5 per guest.

On Thursday Jan. 18, celebrate the 80th birthday of deep dish pizza with a $6 individual deep dish cheese or pepperoni pizza. Available for take-out or dine-in. Limit 5 per guest.

On Friday Jan. 19, enjoy the new tavern-style pizza for $9.99. This new Unos pizza style features a buttery and crisp crust, a flavorful sauce and a tangy mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend. It is available at select locations only and is for dine-in only.

On Saturday Jan. 20, the deals end with a take-out deal that features a BOGO 5 percent off pizza deal. Buy any pizza and get the second one for 50 percent off. Enjoy your weekend with this great deal.

Availability on all offers may vary by location.

Come join in the celebration of both National Pizza Week and the 80th birthday of Uno Pizzeria and Grill.

Based in Boston, Uno Restaurant Holdings Corporation includes approximately 80 company-owned and franchised UNO Pizzeria & Grill restaurants located in 18 states, and the District of Columbia, India and Saudi Arabia. UNO is all about connecting people over pizza – from its famous Chicago Deep Dish, which UNO invented in 1943, to its Chicago Thin Crust to its gluten-free and vegan pizzas. For more information, visit www.unos.com.

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