Giant Co. Designates Groups for More Diversity Funding

The Giant Co. is joining other grocery retailers in stepping up efforts to elevate the issues of diversity and inclusion.

Giant is awarding $100,000 to six groups as part of its overall $500,000 commitment toward local community organizations dedicated to racial equality and advancing diversity and inclusion.

Giant is giving $50,000 to five local YWCA chapters to support their missions of eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice and freedom. YWCA Lancaster is receiving a $25,000 donation towards its new Center for Racial and Gender Equity, which will focus on community engagement, training and education, and research and advocacy throughout Lancaster County. Giant has been named a founding partner of this center.

“Each of these organizations is working toward creating healthier communities through the advancement of racial equality and equity, something that the Giant company strongly supports,” said Aaysha Noor, head of diversity and inclusion, Giant Co. “We are honored to be partnering with these organizations to create a better, more equitable tomorrow for our shared communities. Together, we will effect long-lasting change and make a difference.”

Other YWCA recipient organizations include:

• YWCA Carlisle, $10,000 – Through this donation, Giant will be the founding sponsor of the Racial Justice Initiative to help build broader coalition in Cumberland County to eliminate internal, interpersonal and systemic racism through education and open dialogue led by YWCA Carlisle.
• YWCA Tri-County Area, $5,000 – This donation will support the Racism, Trauma and What’s Next series through webinars, book studies and movie analysis. The goal of this program is to host courageous and constructive conversations about racism and inequality present in the many facets of culture and society, and then turn talk into action.
• YWCA Greater Harrisburg, $5,000 – Giant will help to fund the 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, designed to create dedicated time and space to engage in learning more about issues of race, power and privilege and collaborate to raise awareness and support for important racial justice work in the Capital Region.
• YWCA Allentown, $5,000 – This donation will be used towards the YWeb Career Academy program which provides education in digital and employability skills geared toward increasing the representation of women and people of color in technology fields. The program also addresses gender and racial disparities in employment outcomes in the Lehigh Valley, providing local employers with a diverse, skilled and prepared workforce.
• Giant is also providing $50,000 to the Borough of Steelton for its Steelton Unity Park. This donation will help install playground equipment, tables, benches and other amenities to provide a space for the community to gather and children of all ages to play.

This latest announcement is the second in a series of donations made by the company to support the communities it serves. In October, Giant Co. announced a total of $250,000 in funding to Urban League of Philadelphia, Boys & Girls Clubs, HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College and NAACP Pennsylvania. This investment is part of a $5 million commitment made by parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, to support racial equality and diversity and inclusion efforts.

Giant Co.'s efforts come as many food retailers, including Kroger, Dollar General and Walmart, have focused on ramping up diversity efforts. Kroger's D&I plan features five focus areas: Create More Inclusive Culture, Develop Diverse Talent, Advance Diverse Partnerships, Advance Equitable Communities, and Deeply Listen and Report Progress.

Based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, The Giant Co. is an omnichannel retailer serving millions of customers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It has more than 33,000 associates supporting nearly 190 stores, 132 pharmacies, 105 fuel stations, and 125-plus online pickup hubs and grocery delivery service across hundreds of ZIP codes. The Giant Co. is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.