Stop & Shop last week launched its annual “Support Our Service Men and Women” fundraising campaign to benefit the United Service Organizations (USO). Throughout the month of July, Stop & Shop customers can donate $1, $3 or $5 at checkout, in-store or online, or round up their total to the nearest dollar at self-checkout.
“Our customers and associates throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey look forward to this fundraising effort each year since it helps the USO in providing an immediate and direct impact on the men and women who serve and protect our nation as well as their families,” said Stacy Wiggins, Stop & Shop’s vice president of e-commerce operations and a veteran of the United States Army.
Stop & Shop, a division of Ahold Delhaize USA, operates more than 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.
A global, non-profit organization, the USO’s mission is to strengthen service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country, throughout their service to the nation. The funds raised by the Stop & Shop campaign will support this important mission, which is delivered through various programs including:
- The USO Care Package Program, which provides service members with two different types of care packages — a Snack Pack and a Toiletry Pack. The Snack Pack is assembled with a mixture of healthy treats and drink mixes, while the Toiletry Pack comes equipped with a wide range of travel-sized hygiene products. Over 200,000 care packages were delivered in 2020.
- The Mobile USOs act as USO centers on wheels and provide field support to service members. These state-of-the-art mobile vehicles travel to events and military exercises to serve as places of respite and provide service members snacks, refreshments and occasionally homecooked meals. This fleet of vehicles also delivers USO services to areas without brick-and-mortar centers and are used to support National Guard deployments for natural disasters and to help communities in times of crisis.
- The USO Pathfinder Transition Program helps service members and their families navigate transition from military service to thriving veteran status, no matter where they are located around the world. The program also supports military spouses at any point in their military journey as they transition from one installation to the next. Through individualized Action Plans and a network of partners and resources, the program focuses on employment, education, financial wellness, mentoring and increased access to relevant veteran resources in their communities when separation from service occurs.
According to Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop, 100% of all donations will benefit the USO mission to support its mobile and center operations, food and family programming, transition services and much more. Since the campaign’s inception more than seven years ago, Stop & Shop has helped raise more than $5 million for military service members.
“Every year, the generosity of Stop & Shop associates and customers grows and helps to make a real difference in the USO’s ability to strengthen and connect service members and their families,” said Chad Hartman, vice president, development and corporate alliances for the USO. “We are so grateful for this partnership and annual campaign that helps to unify military supporters to give more than thanks to those who serve us all.”
