We are in the thick of the 2023 golf season with many more outings to come in the next two months. It’s an exhausting schedule (wink), but the proceeds from each outing go to charitable causes. The New Jersey Food Council’s outing on June 24 raised money for scholarships (not to mention a huge goody bag and cigar roller at the outing). Boyer’s Food for the Hungry Outing donated proceeds of over $56,000 to local food banks in Central PA. Murphy’s Fresh Markets has raised over $2 million in over 40 years for St. Mary of the Lakes School in Medford, NJ.
Weis and Giant also have their own charities that donate to the communities they serve. It’s a win-win for all concerned and the industry camaraderie can’t be matched. Check out our Trade Calendar on page 2 for more information about all upcoming events.
Our friends at The Giant Company (TGC) are making all kinds of investments in Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Earlier this month, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) announced it has received a $1 million gift from TGC to fund the expansion of its food pharmacy program, which provides nutritious food and better health outcomes for families experiencing food insecurity. This donation will bring CHOP’s food pharmacy program to the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Primary Care Center in Norristown, PA and deliver much-needed services directly to families’ doorsteps. The offering will be virtual, and families will order their food online, and with the help of a resource navigator, the items will be delivered directly to their homes. Additionally, there will be a small in-person pantry at the center in Norristown that will store dry food and serve as another resource for families. The pharmacy is scheduled to open this fall. “More than 120,000 Philadelphia children live below the poverty line and one in five people in Philadelphia experience food insecurity, which means they don’t consistently have access to enough food for an active and healthy lifestyle,” said Saba Khan, MD, attending physician with the CHOP Care Network and director of food pharmacy.
Efforts to address food insecurity often neglect city suburbs, and many areas in need are sandwiched between wealthier ones, creating overlooked pockets with limited access to resources. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue, with many populations experiencing food insecurity for the first time. CHOP’s food pharmacy program aims to increase access to healthy foods and promote nutrition for families experiencing food insecurity. TGC is one of CHOP’s largest corporate sponsors and has been a Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) partner since 1995. Through TGC’s CMN round-up campaigns, more than $22 million has been donated to CHOP to support the child life, education and creative arts therapy department and food pharmacy programming.
In other TGC news, in honor of its 100th anniversary celebrations and the start of a new school year, TGC is donating 10,000 bags filled with food, hygiene products, and school supplies to help kids start the school year with confidence. Prior to school starting, TGC’s team members partnered with 36 local organizations to pack and distribute bags, providing kids with weekend meals and supplies. “The Giant Company believes everyone – especially our youngest minds – deserve access to food to reach their fullest potential, which is why we continue to take actionable steps to help eliminate hunger in our local communities,” said Jessica Groves, manager, community impact, TGC. “Research shows children have a hard time focusing on academics when they are hungry, so we are doing our part to help kids go back to school with the food and supplies they need to begin the school year with a fresh start.”
And finally, we send kudos to Breanna Norris, produce manager at TGC’s Doylestown store, as she has been named IFPA Retail Produce Manager of the Year! Breanna is one of only 15 produce managers nationwide to receive this top honor in 2023. “Bre is an outstanding leader and visual storyteller,” said Al Carcifi, regional manager of fresh merchandising, TGC. “Her creativity elevates displays, amplifying special events, holidays, and promotions to tell the stories of our brands and supplier partners while creating an authentic customer experience. She is a mentor, role model, and a great example of how our team members strive to connect families to a better future daily.” Great job!
After the success of last year’s Flavored by Philly contest, Pennsylvania-based Herr Foods announced a new spin to this year’s contest in June by asking Philadelphians to nominate flavors they crave from local small food businesses. Flavored by Philly: Local Eats, is Herr’s recent line of limited-time chip flavors that only Philadelphia can claim as their own. The three finalist flavors, Corropolese’s Tomato Pie, John’s Roast Pork and Mike’s BBQ Korean BBQ Wings were available to taste and vote on through August 8. “Herr’s is a brand that grew up in Philly and we remain true to our Philly roots. Through Flavored by Philly, we wanted to highlight other small businesses and their signature flavors to give the people of our community a unique experience they could really get excited about. Boy was it hard, though, to narrow down to just three finalists,” said Ed Herr, chairman and CEO of Herr’s. “We are big fans of the three small business finalists and are thrilled to combine our chips with their signature dishes. The combination is something even more magical than we were expecting and we can’t wait to share them with you!” And the winner is… Corropolese Bakery Tomato Pie in Norristown, PA. “We are thrilled to crown Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli Tomato Pie Chips as the winner of our second annual Flavored by Philly contest,” said Herr. “Their innovative take on a beloved Philadelphia delicacy truly embodies the spirit of the Flavored by Philly contest.” “Tomato Pie is an old family recipe that has been cherished within our local community for generations,” said Joe Corropolese, owner of Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli. “As a family business deeply rooted in the community, we wanted to showcase the flavors that our customers have grown to love and appreciate.” Congratulations!
As many of you know, Wawa has left the City of Philadelphia for the most part due to rising retail theft. They are trying everything in their power to keep a presence here so earlier this month, they unveiled a new look in a current store, located on the 3300 block of Market Street on Drexel University’s campus. The new and improved Wawa features no shelves, just in-store-digital touch screens with Wawa associates behind the counter. The coffee station will remain self-serve, but everything else will be ordered digitally. The store was closed for six days to complete the renovations. It reopened on July 26. It’s a test, so it will be interesting to see if it is a success. Earlier this month Wawa also announced plans to transform another vacant former store at 9th & South Streets in Center City (it closed in 2021) into a production facility for Popcorn for the People, an organization established in 2014 to produce and package product creating career opportunities for autistic individuals. Wawa announced its commitment during the Philadelphia Eagles’ opening practice alongside the team’s owner, Jeffrey Lurie, and the Eagles Autism Foundation. For more than 40 years, Wawa has provided supported employment programs for people with intellectual disabilities in stores throughout its chain. Now, Wawa is supporting neurodiverse employment in a new way – by providing a dedicated space for Popcorn for the People to make delicious popcorn, expand their production capabilities and continue to create jobs for people with autism and other disabilities. To enable this partnership, Wawa will provide in-kind support which will exceed $1.5 million over the next five years. The transformation of the store also includes support from Eagles Autism Foundation via funding for store equipment to make the popcorn in conjunction with their partner, Nouryon, who provided $500,000 in matching gifts to help bring the project to life. All renovations are expected to be completed with popcorn popping by the first quarter of 2024.
C.W. Dunnet & Co. has announced that it will move from its current location in South Philadelphia to a new larger facility in Pottstown, PA sometime in 2024. As a wholesale foodservice redistributor, C.W. Dunnet supplies frozen, refrigerated and dry foods to other distributors and manufacturers in the Mid-Atlantic region. The new Pottstown location is a 55,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. It will also have dedicated space for eggs, spices and specialty items. The new location will improve transit times for customers in Western Pennsylvania, Western New York, West Virginia, and Eastern Ohio. The company is also expanding its delivery options and adding to its truck fleet. “This new facility is a win-win-win for our customers, our suppliers and our company,” according to Ari Miller, director of business development at C.W. Dunnet. “It will allow us to be more efficient and offer more products and services to customers. It will also allow us to keep expanding our customer-base, which continues to grow.” C.W. Dunnet & Co. is the trade name of LKM Foods, Inc. The company was founded by Charles Dunnet in 1935 as a dairy and butter manufacturer. Today the company sells a full line of dairy products, protein products, Italian specialties, deli meats, provisions, spices, sauces, oils and appetizers. The company’s Liberty Bell branded products have long been associated with Philadelphia.
Celebrating another glorious trip around the sun this month are: Charlie Bell and Marty Delinski, Acme Markets; Josh Brown, Brown’s ShopRites; Michael Bozzuto, Bozzuto’s; and Ed Rogers, L&L Brokerage. Buon compleanno a tutti!
This month we also send special birthday wishes to Zallie Family Markets as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. We hope you all enjoy the special section we put together to honor them as one of the iconic independent retailers in the Philadelphia market. Cent’ anni!
Quote of the month: “The road to success is always under construction.” Lily Tomlin