By: Richard L. Smith
Community members and store teams gathered in Bayonne and Jersey City last week as two local ShopRite locations celebrated a successful fundraising campaign aimed at fighting hunger across New Jersey.
According to information sent by ShopRite, the Inserra family-owned ShopRite of Bayonne and ShopRite of Metro Plaza collectively raised nearly $20,000 as part of the annual Partners In Caring Cheerios Contest, a nationwide initiative held in partnership with General Mills.
The campaign, which took place during Hunger Action Month in September, contributed to a larger effort that saw ShopRite stores raise more than $1.34 million to support food banks and hunger relief organizations.
As part of the recognition, select store associates were honored by having their images featured on special edition Cheerios boxes unveiled during in-store celebrations on March 27.
Those recognized included Mary Ellen Klein and Kat Tirado from the Bayonne location, along with Bob Dubon from the Metro Plaza store.
The events, held at both store locations, also included donations to local organizations, including The Sharing Place Inc. and Community FoodBank of New Jersey, which continue to provide critical support to families facing food insecurity.
The annual contest brings together nearly 270 ShopRite stores in a friendly competition each fall, with top-performing locations earning the opportunity to highlight their team members on cereal boxes sold in stores during the spring.