Gourmet News

Southern Glazer’s Rewards VolunCheer of the Year, Charities

Published January 20, 2023

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has announced the recipient of its 2022 VolunCheer of the Year Award, Lisa Flowers-Espinosa, customer service manager from Southern Glazer’s in Phoenix. VolunCheers is Southern Glazer’s grassroots employee volunteering and giving program that empowers team members to engage with charities in their local communities. These efforts are managed through the company’s enterprise-wide digital portal, VolunCheers Online, where employees can connect with each other, organize and promote volunteering and giving activities.

For the annual VolunCheer of the Year program, employees voted from among a group of 2022 VolunCheer of the Month winners to determine who would be selected to receive a prize of $5,000 donated to the winner’s charity of choice.

Flowers-Espinosa received special VolunCheer recognition for her efforts in hosting a donation drive for Youth On Their Own (YOTO), a charity that supports local youth with food, school supplies, toiletries, and academic support. In 2022, Flowers-Espinosa successfully spearheaded a donation drive benefiting YOTO by working with a local team of employee volunteers to collect donations to support the youth in her community facing homelessness. The charity was positively overwhelmed by the overflow of donations and commented, “This was the most donations we have ever received at one time!”

In recognition of her award, Flowers-Espinosa selected the Navajo Relief Fund and Boys & Girls Club of the (east) Valley to be the recipients of Southern Glazer’s $5,000 donation, with each charity receiving $2,500 on her behalf.

“The two charities that I have selected play a huge role in everything that I stand for, particularly a better future for youth and their families,” said Flowers-Espinosa. “The Boys and Girls Club serves over 13,000 young people in grades K-12 right in the center of my hometown. As a latch-key kid myself, I understand fully the need for after-school and summer programs for our children, especially youth at risk. Also, a large part of the Arizona population is Native Americans. The Navajo Relief Fund serves the largest Indian reservation in the United States, spanning over 16 million acres in Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern Utah. In the face of extreme poverty and adversity, it just felt right to help the families of Diné Nation (our Native Navajos).”

Southern Glazer’s also rounded out 2022 with its annual Holiday Giving Campaign, during which the company pledged to donate $25 for every volunteer hour logged by employees on VolunCheers Online throughout November and December. The beneficiaries of the campaign are the United States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG), Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America, with 10 percent of total donations benefiting Southern Glazer’s Canada’s charity of choice, Sickkids.

Southern Glazer’s employees more than doubled last year’s results by logging 2,881 volunteer hours in support of diverse causes on VolunCheers Online, resulting in a total donation of $72,025 to support the five selected charities above. As a result of employees’ commitment to giving back, the USBG, Arbor Day Foundation, Dress for Success, and Feeding America will each receive a $16,205.62 donation and Sickkids will receive a $7,205.50 donation, to help further their meaningful work on behalf of Southern Glazer’s.

“Southern Glazer’s encourages volunteerism that fosters opportunity and belonging in the communities where we live and operate,” said Wayne E. Chaplin, chief executive officer. “Our employees are constantly finding ways to expand our volunteer footprint and increase their collective positive impact. The VolunCheers program here at Southern Glazer’s not only makes it easy for employees to find and initiate volunteer and fundraising activities, it allows us to recognize our employees’ commitment to change the world one action at a time.”

Month after month, Southern Glazer’s employees expressed their gratitude through meaningful charitable work. The company is proud to close 2022 with nearly 12,200 employee volunteer hours logged and 210 employee-led volunteer events organized to benefit more than 185 charities.

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Save A Lot Bags for a Brighter Holiday Nets 130K Bags of Food

Published January 18, 2023

With the help and generosity of its customers, Save A Lot, one of the largest discount grocery chains in the United States, has donated more than 130,000 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, such as Feeding Tampa Bay, the Father Fred Foundation and numerous local and regional food banks and pantries.

To further amplify the program’s impact, Save A Lot matched donation efforts for more than 120 top selling stores with a financial contribution to each store’s partner charity. The company also supported No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America, by providing a matching $6 donation for every bag purchased on Giving Tuesday (Nov. 30) to No Kid Hungry. Together these additional tactics generated an additional combined $88,000 in charitable contributions to 116 local charities as well as to No Kid Hungry.

In total, more than $780,000 worth of food will feed families in need this season. Each bag was stocked with private label and brand name food items, including pasta, stuffing mix, canned beans, meats and other pantry staples from Save A Lot. A total of 566 Save A Lot stores participated in the food donation program with 16 stores selling more than 1,000 bags, including:

Traverse City, MI (1115 S. Garfield Ave.) – 13,523 bags
Tampa, FL (2271 E. Bearss Ave.) – 5,715 bags
Scottsville, KY (1407 Galletin Rd.) – 2,417 bags
Whitwell, TN. (13205 Highway 28) – 2,366 bags
Williamsburg, KY. (1645 S. Highway 25 W.) – 2,212 bags
Hagerstown, MD (1161 Maryland Ave.) – 2,137 bags
Hardinsburg, KY (996 Old Hwy 60 East) – 2,129 bags
Jamestown, TN (407 North Main St.) – 1,760 bags
Hazard, KY (52 Grand Vue Plaza) – 1,461 bags
Sparta, TN (179 Mose Dr.) – 1,419 bags
Murphy, NC (1240 Andrews Rd.) – 1,252 bags
Blairsville, GA (117 Murphy Hwy) – 1,188 bags
Altoona, PA (3415 Pleasant Valley Blvd.) – 1,117 bags
Mayfield, KY (1210 State Route 45 North) – 1,116 bags
Pickens, SC (529 Hampton Ave Hwy B) – 1,109 bags
Danville, WV (124 Mall Rd.) – 1,060 bags

“Giving back to families who are struggling to put food on the table is at the heart of our annual Bags for a Brighter Holiday program. I continue to be inspired and humbled by the incredible generosity of our customers, who make space in their own shopping budgets to help each other this time of year,” said Mark Kotcher, senior vice president of sales & marketing at Save A Lot. “Save A Lot plays an important role in many of these communities, providing families with access to fresh, high quality food options every day. Seeing each of these stores rally around this program is really special. We also appreciate our partners at No Kid Hungry, who have allowed us to expand our reach even further in working towards ending childhood hunger.”

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 one of the largest discount grocery store chains in the U.S., with more than 850 stores in 32 states. Save A Lot remains true to its mission of being a hometown grocer, providing 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.

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Niagara Chocolates’ New Flavors Sweeten Up Valentine’s Day

Published January 18, 2023

Niagara Chocolates, a fastest-growing premium chocolate brand, has releases four limited-edition flavors just in time for Valentine’s Day. A recent survey confirms that while consumers from Gen Z and beyond still choose chocolate and romance as Valentine’s Day signatures, a spirit of adventure and an interest to try new, exciting experiences accompany these traditional celebration elements.

Other key findings include an overwhelming preference for bold flavors inspired by dessert favorites, popular bakery indulgences and special holiday offerings.

Niagara’s new flavors include:

Dark Chocolate Fondue – Mess-free and easy to recreate at home, our Dark Chocolate Fondue is ready in under 2 minutes and perfect for creating a fun dessert activity with a loved one or as a fun entertaining element.
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cups – Delicious notes of red velvet and cocoa complemented by the delicate tang and smoothness of cheesecake. Also available in 12-ounce gift boxes.
Snickerdoodle Cookie Clusters – Creamy milk chocolate with notes of zesty cinnamon and crunchy vanilla cookie pieces, our Snickerdoodle Clusters will surely make your heart flutter.
Double Chocolate Frosting Cups – Enjoy our twist on a cupcake! Smooth, milk chocolate frosting flavors in rich, creamy, decadent dark chocolate will satisfy your sweet tooth any day of the week.

“For Valentine’s Day 2023, every generation declared a preference for celebrating romance – either with a loved one, boldly going on a first date or even fantasizing about a secret crush,” said Joe Annunziato, director of marketing at Delica North America, parent company of Niagara Chocolates. “No matter how they choose to celebrate, there was an overwhelming agreement that chocolates are the best gift to give and receive, and our hand crafters are excited to share their bold new flavor innovations.”

Additional Survey Findings:

The #1 gift that consumers want to give themselves, their loved ones and receive for Valentine’s Day is chocolate.
Over 50 percent of recipients would love to receive a Valentine’s card from their secret crush.
Over 85 percent of respondents would be willing to go on a first date on Valentine’s Day – but 16 percent would only be interested if given a box of chocolates as an invitation.

Made with simple, non-GMO ingredients, Rainforest Alliance Certified Cocoa, and small batch hand crafted chocolate, these limited-edition products are available on Niagarachocolates.com, Amazon, and national retailers such as Safeway Albertsons, Fresh Market, Walmart and more.

*Results from Pollfish Survey conducted January 2023

Niagara Chocolates launched nationally in 2021 and is the fastest-growing brand in premium chocolate, led by top-selling flavors such as Toasted Coconut Clusters, Sea Salt Caramel Cups, Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups, and Dark Chocolate Coconut Clusters, as well as the Almond Toffee Milk Chocolate, Salted Almond Dark Chocolate and Almond Butter Dark Chocolate bars.

The brand was established in 1956 with a focus on simple ingredients, a hand crafted process, and delivering indulgent products, which remain the brand pillars to this day. Niagara Chocolates has proudly invested in local communities since the brand’s inception through fundraising programs, enabling local schools and organizations to raise millions of dollars to support efforts of all types and make dreams possible. The brand is owned by Migros Group, the largest company, and retailer in Switzerland.

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