Last updated on June 13th, 2024 at 12:13 pm
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Southeastern Grocers Inc. is supporting the Gulf Coast community to help neighbors and associates recover and rebuild.
This month, the grocer has held a mobile food pantry to provide food assistance, partnered with local organizations to aid the community and raised funds in support of neighbors and associates who have been severely impacted, donating a total of $566,420 to date back into the local community to assist with recovery efforts.
“The devastating impact of Hurricane Ida has left a lasting imprint on the lives of many of our associates, customers and neighbors,” said Anthony Hucker, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers. “It is truly heartbreaking to watch the communities we care about struggle to move forward from overwhelming destruction. As we strive to pick up the pieces together, Southeastern Grocers is dedicated to supporting the Gulf Coast with the necessary resources to rebuild, recover and remain resilient. We have weathered many storms, and as with others, we are confident that we will once again emerge stronger together.”
To immediately help Gulf Coast neighbors in need, SEG distributed more than 184,656 water bottles and 6,000 bags of ice within days of the storm to provide residents with safe drinking water. The grocer also partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank and the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to quickly distribute more than $54,000 in food, diapers and cleaning supplies to residents in need. Additionally, SEG set-up a Mobile Pharmacy in the parking lot of its Gramercy Winn-Dixie store to help existing Winn-Dixie Pharmacy customers gain access to prescription refills and offer prescription transfers for new customers and over-the-counter medications.
SEG and Winn-Dixie associates partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank on Sept. 18 to host a mobile pantry providing much needed recovery relief and supplemental support by offering shelf staple food items, water, ice and cleaning supplies to 1,000 individuals and families in the River Parishes, one of the most devastated areas impacted in Southeast Louisiana. The grocer also donated $25,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank in recognition of Hunger Action Month and to help support the drastic increase in food insecurity escalated by COVID-19 and the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Since its devastating landfall on Aug. 29, Hurricane Ida has left mass destruction throughout communities in Southeast Louisiana, leaving many individuals and families without a place to call home. To help the community rebuild, SEG, in partnership with the SEG Gives Foundation, and its generous customers, is donating more than $176,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to support Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. SEG has a longstanding partnership with the American Red Cross and has aided the organization in countless disaster relief missions. In June, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation, donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in anticipation of an active Hurricane season.
Additionally, to provide immediate assistance to associates impacted by Hurricane Ida, the grocer has set-up a GoFundMe fundraiser through its SEG Cares foundation, an internal nonprofit platform that allows associates to help fellow associates in times of need. In the first week, more than $100,000 was donated in support of associates by associates and generous vendor partners. Currently, the grocer has raised more than $186,000 for associates, and SEG will match the donations with an additional $100,000 contribution. The GoFundMe fundraiser will continue through the end of September, when funds will be distributed to help the more than 175 associates who have been severely impacted, many of whom have lost everything.
Jacksonville, Florida-based SEG will continue to partner with organizations like American Red Cross and Feeding America affiliate food banks.
