Warwick ShopRite associates among 51 people to appear on special edition Cheerios boxes - Competition tied to National Hunger Awareness Day
Warwick Cheerios may soon have a familiar face or two smiling up from the front of the box. Two associates from ShopRite of Warwick have been chosen to adorn the front of a limited-edition Cheerios box, in honor of their store’s commitment to fighting hunger in the community through the ShopRite Partners In Caring program. The boxes were unveiled in a ceremony at the store on Friday, Nov. 11, and went on sale Nov. 13. Susan Thornton, of Goshen, and Richard Ahrens, of Florida, are two of the 51 associates featured on the limited edition boxes. A total of 75,000 boxes will be available for sale. The boxes are designed to honor associates nationwide who took part in a special week-long competition tied to National Hunger Awareness Day. The competition, sponsored by ShopRite Partners In Caring and General Mills, took place the first two weeks of June, and challenged associates to raise both money and awareness to help fight hunger in the community. Hunger is an everyday problem in America, and one that strikes every community. The U.S. Census Bureau recently announced that the number of people living in poverty and at risk of hunger has grown for the fourth year in a row, to more than 37 million Americans. As part of the National Hunger Awareness Day competition, ShopRite challenged its associates to design the most eye-catching in-store display drawing attention to the hunger issue. The top 25 performing stores were declared winners based upon the following criteria: the creativity of their display, funds raised for ShopRite Partners In Caring, and hosting events that increased awareness for the cause. Associates raised a total of $116,753 through $1 donation cards offered to customers at checkout. In addition, General Mills offered a $1 donation for every four General Mills products purchased by customers, up to $20,000. n Partners In Caring fights hunger year round ShopRite Partners In Caring is a year-round, community-based, hunger-fighting initiative that works with more than 70 food industry manufacturers to provide $2 million annually to qualified agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Since its inception in 1999, it has donated $11 million to over 1,100 charities. Through a partnership with America’s Second Harvest Food Banks food banks, Partners In Caring dollars help fund a variety of organizations including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, child care centers, battered women’s shelters, senior citizen programs, drug rehab centers, programs for the mentally and physically disabled, after-school programs and other organizations that support those in need. For more information, visit www.shopritepartnersincaring.org.