Earlier this month, Governor Mike DeWine helped us send off the National Guard members who have been integral to our operations and distribution throughout the pandemic. Now, with the National Guards gone, volunteers are more important than ever! Our community has certainly stepped up to the plate and helped us meet the demand. This month, we’ve had even more individuals and groups coming out to our county and alley distributions. We also had volunteers help sort through our donated items and pack them into our boxes.
Volunteer Feature: ALDI
At Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB), we are very lucky to have a number of supporters we can constantly rely on, whether that is for sponsorships, food donations, or volunteers. One of those staunch supporters we are extremely grateful for is ALDI , who has returned to volunteer in our warehouse after finding other ways to support us during the COVID-19 pandemic.
ALDI aims to make a positive contribution to its communities by giving back both locally and nationally through donations, participating in volunteer efforts, and collaborating with nonprofit organizations. Ohio area ALDI employees always look forward to the opportunity to team up with and support Second Harvest Food Bank by packing food boxes. In June, more than a dozen ALDI employees were able to safely come back to the food bank in-person for the first time since the pandemic and packed 300 boxes in less than 2 hours! The ALDI team assembled and boxed the supplies so efficiently (just like in their stores) — they were the fastest crew we had ever had.
ALDI is committed to providing quality, nutritious food that families need and want both in their stores and through their collaboration with SHFB. Even when COVID-19 prevented ALDI employees from doing in-person packing events, ALDI continued to support SHFB by donating food and non-perishable items. Second Harvest is just one of many food banks that ALDI supports, as the grocery store has a longstanding partnership with Feeding America. Nearly all of the 2,100+ ALDI stores partner with a local Feeding America member food bank, including our food bank in Springfield. This partnership gives ALDI the chance to positively impact local communities through food donations and limit their environmental impact by reducing waste.
“As a leading grocer, we are committed to diverting 90% of waste from landfills through recycling, composting, and other efforts by 2025,” Sarah Brown, ALDI Springfield Division Vice President, shared. “We are also aiming to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030 through increased tracking of purchasing data, our in-store markdown program for products near their sell-by date and through food bank donations that also help fight food insecurity in our local community.”
The volunteer efforts of Ohio area ALDI employees at Second Harvest Food Bank are just one of many volunteer events that ALDI organizes in partnership with Feeding America every year. ALDI employees across the country pack disaster relief boxes that support individuals and families displaced from their homes due to natural disasters. In 2019, hundreds of employees at the ALDI U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois, volunteered their time to pack nearly 5,000 boxes with shelf-stable ALDI products to be used in the event of an emergency or natural disaster. Most recently, the ALDI disaster relief boxes were used locally after a string of Memorial Day tornadoes devastated the Dayton area. Additionally, many boxes were also distributed to families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ALDI commitment to supporting disaster relief efforts goes beyond product donations. Last year, ALDI donated $500,000 to Feeding America and more than 29 million pounds of product to help end hunger in America. Whether you are looking nationally at the ALDI organization’s impact across America or locally at the work they are doing in Clark, Champaign, and Logan Counties, their support comes in many forms, and we are thankful for every aspect of their time and efforts.
Recognizing July Volunteers
Thank you to every individual and group who volunteered with us in our warehouse or at our distributions this month!
A very special thank you to:
Ann Walters
Annette Evans
Barbara Ashbaugh
Barbara Hairston
Charles Ricketts
David Laengle
Elijah Williams
Giovanna Pinto
John Minter
Kathryn Hines
Kathy McGinnis
Larry Cisler
Nick Kneisley
Richard Dixon
Steven Harbaugh
Suzanne Blanton
Groups
ALDI
Barb Kauffman Group
Bundy Baking Solutions
Champaign Economic Partnership
Choice Properties Real Estate
Citizens Federal Savings & Loan
Clark County Democratic Party
Clark County Master Gardeners
Council on Rural Services
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Dan Metzger & Ridgewood School
Downsize Farms
First United Methodist Church
Harper Community Church
Jamie Errett & Family
Kroger
McGregor Corp
Mercy Health of Urbana
Middle Urbana Missionary Baptist Church
Richwood Bank
Rushsylvania United Methodist
Sertell Chiropractic
Sloan Insurance
Spartan Nash
Speedway
Thermoid
United Church of South Vienna
Vonnie Eubanks Group
Wittenberg Compass Crew
Once again, thank you to everyone who volunteered with us this month! Continue to share the word about our distribution and packing volunteering opportunities. Bring a friend, some family members and neighbors, or a whole group out to volunteer with you, or spend a solo afternoon with us and get to know your fellow wonderful volunteers! Your time makes a real impact on Second Harvest and the communities we serve.
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