Roundy’s Supermarkets is a grocery retailer that runs the Pick ‘N Save, Copps Food Center, and Rainbow Foods stores in the upper Midwest. From April 20-24, they sponsored their annual “Roundy’s on the Road: Feeding the Hungry Tour,” through which they helped to stock the shelves of 50 food pantries in Minnesota and Wisconsin. According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, throughout the week the tour distributed $250,000 in food and money.
The Roundy’s website explains that each of the 50 pantries received 3,000 pounds of food, valued at $4,500, and $500 with which to purchase fresh meat and produce.
The company started their tours back in 2006, and each year they partner with Kobussen Buses, a local school-bus, coach, and transit service, to assist the food banks. “We are happy to do it,” said Roundy’s Chairman Robert Mariano. “Our economy has hit people hard. More and more people are seeking help from food pantries. We hope this tour, in a small way, will help those in need in the communities we serve.”
It is common for food-pantry donations to slow down during the spring, and their inventories often start to dwindle after the well-publicized food drives around Thanksgiving and Christmas. April is a perfect time for a much-appreciated infusion. “We need it,” said Roseanne Erdman, director of Peter’s Pantry in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, one of the event’s recipients. “Roundy’s donation comes at a time when our pantry is low and in between food drives. This much food will help us feed a lot of families.”
