Faribault Foods Wins the “Minnesota’s Own” Silver Plate Award

The Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) has completed its 2012 “Minnesota’s Own” annual campaign to fight hunger in Minnesota. Faribault Foods has been recognized for the fourth year in a row as a Best Overall Support Silver Plate Award winner, the highest honor given by the MGA. The MGA conducts an annual event in October, which brings together both food manufacturers and retailers in a joint program to raise awareness, funds and food contributions to help families across Minnesota. Since 2007, “Minnesota’s Own” has contributed over 17 million meals to Minnesota communities. Faribault Foods was recognized as a Silver Plate Award winner based on its contributions and in-store displays for its brands: Butter Kernel Vegetables and S&W Beans. As part of the event, Faribault Foods created a new campaign called “Can for a Can” that let consumers directly contribute to fighting hunger.  For every can of Butter Kernel Vegetables or S&W Beans purchased in MN in October, another can of food was donated to a Minnesota food bank.  The campaign was embraced by consumers, resulting in over 110,000 cans of food being donated to Hope For the City and Channel One food banks in Minnesota. “We enjoy working with MGA members on this important program. We want to thank our loyal consumers who participated in this year’s program at their local grocers. With their support, we were able to deliver over 110,000 cans of food to food shelves throughout Minnesota. Also, special thanks to Impact Sales who did a great job of displaying our ‘Can for a Can’ campaign in stores across the state.  In addition to our food donations, we have also contributed $1,000 to Emergency Food Shelf Network in support of its mission to serve hunger needs in our changing communities,” said Jill Kupfer, Director of Marketing for Faribault Foods. Emergency Foodshelf Network Executive Director Lori Kratchmer said, "The economic realities that face so many Minnesotan families today sometimes means seeking help for our most basic needs. More than ever, local food shelves and banks need the support of their communities to keep up with demand. This program has proven that together, we can succeed in the fight to end hunger."