MINNEAPOLIS — While he is best known as senior vice president and chief information officer of Supervalu (and before that, Target), Paul Singer is also recognized as one of the retail industry's most passionate advocates on behalf of the adoption issue.
A father of five girls, three of whom are adopted, Singer led Supervalu's “Chip in: It's for the kids” initiative last year to help child welfare and adoption organizations place needy children in nurturing homes. He set up the program at 18 company locations, including Supervalu's headquarters here.
The effort raised more than $19,000 in personal contributions from Supervalu employees and distributed it, along with funds from the Supervalu and Albertsons Foundations, to six adoption agencies in the United States and India, said Susan Bell, Supervalu's corporate public affairs manager. In all, Supervalu donated $66,000 to benefit adoption programs and services.
“As a father of three adopted children, this is a cause that is near and dear to my heart,” Singer said. “There is nothing more rewarding than providing a child with a safe and loving home.”
Singer is part of a new group, called RetailROI, that has been formed to raise industry awareness of the adoption issue and help provide solutions. Consisting of retailers, technology vendors and analysts, RetailROI will meet for the first time on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009 at the National Retail Federation Show in New York. For more information, contact Greg Buzek, president, IHL Consulting Group, at [email protected].