Late last month, The Giant Company (TGC) released its fourth annual community impact report, highlighting its 2024 corporate social responsibility initiatives centered around its purpose of connecting families for a better future throughout the communities it serves.
“While much changes in the grocery business year over year, The Giant Company’s commitment to serving others and giving back to our neighbors remains a constant,” said John Ruane, president of the large Ahold Delhaize USA (ADUSA) brand. “In 2024, once again, our efforts were centered around areas where we can make the greatest impact: eliminating hunger, changing children’s lives, healing the planet, promoting wellbeing, and fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. With this focus, we’re able to help connect families, create healthier communities, and grow local neighborhoods.”
The impact focus for the Carlisle, PA-based retailer centered around several important charitable and social endeavors including its commitment to ending hunger; efforts to change children’s lives; prioritizing healing of the planet; and well-being for everyone.
Among the programs to end hunger, TGC’s feeding school initiative donated $1.5 million to 171 public school districts. Additionally, it endowed $50,000 across six districts to support local food pantry and weekend bag meals covering approximately 50,000 students.
On Hunger Action Day (September 10), TGC associates volunteered more than 250 hours at nine food banks and pantries packing boxes and raising awareness of food insecurity. And it co-sponsored the Sterman Masser “Potato Palooza” last October 4 at Sterman Masser headquarters in Sacramento, PA. At the event, team volunteers harvested and packed more than 18,000 pounds of potatoes which were donated to area non-profits to help local families facing food insecurity, including Hazleton Community Center, Lighthouse Ministries and Hazleton Integration Project.
In its continuing effort to change children’s lives, TGC partnered with several non-profit groups to help lead the charge to eradicate childhood illnesses. Two of those groups included Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia (and their partners) and Children’s Miracle Network whose relationship with TGC extends more than 25 years. Over that period, the retailer has donated more than $61 million to eight hospitals.
TGC has also spent considerable time and effort to create a greener more sustainable future through regenerative agriculture and support for local growers with a focus on reducing food waste as well as community beautification. In partnership with Keep PA Beautiful, TGC announced 31 recipients of its 2024 Healing the Planet grant program in June 2024. Additionally, a total of $104,765 in funding was awarded in support of planting more than 3,000 trees across Pennsylvania. Since 2021, Giant’s Healing the Planet initiative has given more than $1.2 million to 142 recipients for projects connecting communities to green spaces, helping protect local waterways and water resources and support projects that address food waste prevention, reduction and recovery.
Other key “heal the planet” initiatives included a donation of $400,000 to Keep PA Beautiful. During 2024, the large retailer recycled 6.9 million pounds of plastic and now operates more than 90 “Zero Waste” stores that divert more than 90 percent of waste from landfills.
As for health and wellness, the retailer’s registered dietitians and pharmacists serve the company as trusted experts who help put wellness within reach for their communities. Among the programs offered last year were “Back To School with Kellanova” – in which TGC partnered with the large manufacturer to donate $20,000 and a tractor trailer load of nutritious food to the Central PA Food Bank on August 14 just ahead of kids heading back to school. Moreover, TGC held “Dietitian Farm City Day” in partnership with the PA Department of Agriculture at the Farm Show Complex – more than 1,000 students visited the TGC station to learn how apples go from farm to table; and
“Wellbeing Workshop” – a live, in-person workshop – was held at the Giant in Camp Hill with more than 40 customers connecting with teams of dietitians and pharmacists for fun, educational sessions featuring interactive tours, a cooking demo, nutrition and pharmacist sessions. During 2024, Giant held 409 offsite vaccination clinics with more than $165,000 vaccinations administered; it held 165 dietitian outreach events with 13,500 people reached and offered 235 dietitian classes with 85,000 virtual attendees.
Other areas of community and social responsibility in which TGC was part of year were:
Business Resource Groups (BRG) – team members have access to these groups which offer them opportunities to develop their professional lives that provide an encouraging environment to network with colleagues and communities. Eight specific BRGs were created – Mosaic, Pride, Thrive, Barrier Free, Salute, Care, Clinic and Empower.
Making A Difference Together – the company’s regional operating areas identified and supported organizations and events that mattered most to them and the communities they serve, for example, cold-weather closing drives, special needs sporting events, and local community celebrations.
Make A Difference Challenge – On October 4, $250,000 awarded to 24 non-profit organizations focused on initiatives to create healthier communities nominated by team members, reviewed by a panel of judges comprised of company leadership $5,000 or $15,000 awarded, depending on the project.
Awards & Acknowledgements – last year, TGC was given a “Civic 50” Award from the Philadelphia Foundation – the fourth consecutive year that the retailer has been named as one of the 50 most philanthropic companies in PA, NJ and DE. Additionally, the Philadelphia Business Journal recognized TGC for its partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to expand CHOP’s Food Pharmacy Program to Norristown, PA.
Take Care Fund – more than 70 team members contributed thousands of volunteer hours to fund supporting more than 140 team members and their families who were faced with extraordinary personal tragedy or sudden extreme hardship who were awarded $281,393.86 in 2024.
