Worcester County Food Bank Among Job Lot's Annual Recipients

Submitted by Newberry Public Relations and Marketing

Ocean State Job Lot, a 107-store discount retail chain headquartered in North Kingstown, R.I., has launched its biggest initiative yet to fight hunger in the region.

On Tuesday, Jan. 15, at 9:30 a.m., a convoy of 10 tractor trailer trucks loaded with nutritious shelf-stable food (the equivalent of 333,330 meals) will depart Job Lot’s warehouse with RI State Police escort en route to Food Banks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and New York. This marks the largest single food donation of its kind by a private company in New England.

In what has become a holiday tradition, Job Lot customers in seven states were invited to donate $1 at the register through Dec. 31, 2012 to help buy food for Food Banks to distribute in their local community. Through its “Three Square Meals” Program, the retailer matches the first $100,000 of donations made by shoppers. The customer donations and matching amount totaled more than $1.2 million – the equivalent of 60 tractor trailer loads of food. Leveraging its significant wholesale buying power, Job Lot purchases food from its manufacturers and other sources valued at up to three times Job Lot’s purchase price, and donates it to area food banks.

The company also donates all purchasing logistics, administration, management, delivery labor, and fuel ensuring 100 percent of donated funds are used to help alleviate hunger. Items to be distributed include shelf-stable food such as pasta, cereal, canned vegetables and fruit, soup, canned tuna, dried beans, rice and more.

Including this initial and record-breaking January delivery, the program is expected to distribute over 60 tractor trailer loads of food throughout 2013 to 10 food banks and pantries across six New England states and New York, including the Worcester County Food Bank in Shrewsbury.