Southeastern Grocers, Inc. (SEG), parent company and home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, announces its continued partnership with the American Red Cross in support of the organization’s fire prevention and response efforts. Now through Nov. 3, customers in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas can support the Red Cross by simply rounding up their grocery purchase to the nearest dollar or make a contact-free donation of their choice at the register while grocery shopping. To fire up the donation program, the SEG Gives Foundation will contribute $100,000 to the cause and in honor of the organization’s support of Fire Prevention Week, held Oct. 4-10 to promote fire safety.
Each cent raised throughout the five-week program will enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from natural disasters. The Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters every year, and 90% of those are home fires. In fact, since February, the Red Cross has responded to more than 29,000 home fires across the country to help more than 128,000 people with urgent needs like emergency lodging, financial assistance and recovery planning. The nation’s most frequent disaster, home fires, are most often caused by cooking, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which is sponsoring Fire Prevention Week with the theme, “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen!”
Anthony Hucker, President and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said, “At Southeastern Grocers, we are proud to continue our support of the American Red Cross and to continue the Positive Change donation campaign in our stores to benefit their vital fire prevention and response efforts. We encourage our customers to donate at checkout to kindle contributions for and awareness of fire safety as we strive to cultivate stronger, safer communities for our associates, customers and communities.”
Gerald Thomas, American Red Cross Regional CEO, North Florida Region said, “We are very grateful for the continued support of Southeastern Grocers as we continue our journey of making our communities safer and more resilient. Each day the American Red Cross responds to countless disasters. We couldn’t do this critically important work without partners like Anthony and his team. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to our communities across the Southeast.”
Southeastern Grocers has a longstanding partnership with the Red Cross. Earlier this year, the SEG Gives Foundation donated $250,000 to the Red Cross to support disaster relief efforts, as well as more than $675,000 raised for the American Red Cross in 2019 with generous support from generous customers, dedicated associates and valued vendor partners.
This latest initiative is a part of the SEG Positive Change Round Up Campaign, which continues to help minimize the impact of the current nationwide coin shortage while also supporting various charitable organizations committed to serving individuals and families in need. In addition, Winn-Dixie customers in Alabama, Mississippi and Columbus, Georgia can support the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer through the round up campaign, and donations from customers in Louisiana will benefit the local Ochsner Cancer Institute. All donations will be electronically collected and the total will be rounded up to the nearest dollar by Southeastern Grocers to ensure all spare change makes a difference.
The grocer’s most recent Positive Change Round Up Campaign resulted in nearly $650,000 to benefit Feeding America during September’s Hunger Action Month, a month dedicated to nationally standing together to fight hunger in the communities SEG serves. Additionally, in 2019, SEG raised more than $659,000 in support of the American Heart Association’s Life Is Why We Give™ fundraising campaign and its mission to save people from heart disease and stroke. The grocer will continue the SEG Positive Change Round Up Campaign in all BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores throughout the remainder of 2020.