SpartanNash Associates Volunteer 20,000 Hours in 2016

SpartanNash associates collectively volunteered 20,234 hours in 2016, exceeding the company’s goal of 15,000 volunteer hours by 35 percent.

SpartanNash recently published its 2016 Volunteer Impact Report, which provides an overview of its volunteering efforts and recognizes its associates who gave back to the communities where they live and work.

“Our associates generously gave their time and talents to 465 different nonprofits and community partners, with 1,167 different associates reporting 2016 volunteer time,” said Meredith Gremel, vice president of corporate affairs and communications. “They supported a variety of causes, from longstanding SpartanNash and SpartanNash Foundation partners like Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity to local partners like schools, churches, food pantries, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts and so many more.”

In addition to establishing its goal of 15,000 volunteer hours, SpartanNash also introduced the 100 Club in 2016 as a way to recognize and honor associates’ dedication to volunteering. Any associate who recorded at least 100 volunteer hours selected their favorite 501(c)(3) charity, and SpartanNash made a $100 donation in their name to that nonprofit organization. In total, 41 associates joined the 100 Club in 2016.

SpartanNash MDV Director of Customer Service Chris Moxey was one of the associates who joined the 100 Club last year, volunteering 190 hours with organizations that included Honor and Remember, American Logistics Association and Vetshouse. Based in Norfolk, Va., MDV is SpartanNash's military division and is the leading distributor of grocery products to military commissaries in the United States.

“It’s important to give back, and the organizations I volunteered with support veterans and their families,” Moxey said. “It’s these heroes that are protecting the very freedoms we have as Americans, and it’s important to me to make sure we take care of them. I think it’s great that SpartanNash supports volunteering and encourages associates to get out in the community. Patriotism is one of our core values that makes me proud to work for SpartanNash. As long as I am blessed with good health and have the ability and time to give back, I will continue to do so!”

Family Fare Quick Stop Manager Heather Thull also joined the 100 Club in 2016, volunteering at the Grandville (Mich.) Baptist Church’s Reignite Youth Group and Awana Truth and Training for third through sixth grade students.

“Being a part of the 100 Club is such a great honor, and knowing I’m giving back to the community by having a donation made in my name is very exciting,” said Thull, who manages the fuel center located at 1600 28th St., SW in Wyoming, Mich. “My passion has always included kids and making sure they are always loved and cared for. I love that SpartanNash gives to the community by encouraging us to volunteer. As a result of its commitment to giving back, I am leading a mission trip to Baton Rouge, La. in July to help rebuild houses affected by last November’s flood.

“I’ve always been inspired to volunteer because of what Winston Churchill said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’”

For 2017, SpartanNash has set its volunteering goal for a collective 30,000 hours.

“When we first set our 2016 goal at 15,000 hours, we believed it was a target we could all achieve together, but the results from our first year of tracking our volunteer efforts are more than outstanding,” Gremel said. “Volunteering is part of our corporate responsibility and our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve. Now, it’s time to push ourselves even further. We have confidence that our more than 15,000 associates can meet and exceed this lofty goal, and we support their efforts to give back. From our Helping Hands days to company-sponsored blood drives to individual efforts at our corporate offices, distribution centers and retail stores, our associates are giving back each and every day.”

SpartanNash will once again host Helping Hands in the Community days of service at its corporate office locations in Minneapolis and Grand Rapids, Mich. in June and in Norfolk, Va. in October. As part of the Helping Hands days in 2016, 533 associates collectively volunteered 3,324 hours for 40 community partners. Since its creation in 2011, Helping Hands volunteers have volunteered more than 20,000 hours.