Dollar General Stylishly Shines Light on Literacy With New Campaign
With its signature hue, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has launched its second annual The Yellow Glasses Project, an awareness campaign aiming to shine a light on literacy while funding educational initiatives. Now through Sept. 8 (or while supplies last), customers at more than 17,400 Dollar General stores across the 46 states in which the retailer operates can purchase a pair of yellow sunglasses for $2 each. One hundred percent of the proceeds of each Yellow Glasses purchase goes to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
Dollar General shoppers are encouraged to post photos of themselves sporting their Yellow Glasses, tagging @TheYellowGlassesProject on Facebook, Instagram and @DGYellowGlasses on Twitter, and using the hashtags #TheYellowGlassesProject and #ShineBrighter.
“The Yellow Glasses Project was created to help shine a light on the powerful role that literacy plays in creating bright futures,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “There are very few things that last a lifetime and have the ability to uplift, empower and enlighten like the ability to read. For nearly 30 years, the foundation has been helping increase access to educational programming and resources for individuals of all ages, and we’re thankful for everyone who supports the campaign by purchasing a pair of yellow glasses and/or ‘shining a light’ through social media.”
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports adult, youth, summer and family literacy programs within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. Grants fund programming through schools, libraries and nonprofits that help students learn to read, prepare for high school equivalency tests or learn English. As of May 2021, the foundation has awarded about $200 million in grants, helping more than 14 million individuals achieve their educational goals.
In May, the foundation made the largest one-day grant donation in its 28-year history: More than $10.5 million was awarded to nearly 1,000 schools, nonprofits and libraries.
Meanwhile, Dollar General’s net sales decreased 0.6% to $8.4 billion for its first quarter ended April 30. Same-store sales decreased 4.6% but increased 17.1% on a two-year stack basis. The company said that it believes consumer behavior driven by government stimulus payments had a significant positive effect on sales in its nonconsumable product categories.
Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based DG operates 17,426 stores in 46 states, employing about 140,000 associates. The company is No. 15 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
