Giant Introduces Bags 4 My Cause

For the second time in a week, a grocer is giving customers the ability to donate to their chosen local nonprofit while simultaneously helping the environment Giant Food Stores Inc. introduced its Bags 4 My Cause program, on the heels of Southeastern Grocers’ similar Community Bag with a Giving Tag initiative.

In the Giant Food Stores program, each time a customer buys a Bags 4 My Cause reusable shopping bag with a giving tag, they can direct a $1 donation to a local nonprofit of their choice. If the customer doesn’t make a donation within seven days, it will automatically be donated to a local nonprofit selected by the store where it was sold. Available at various registers and the reusable bag racks at all Giant and Martin’s Food Markets locations, the program’s reusable shopping bags sell for $2.50 apiece.

“Giant, like its customers, is committed to doing its part to ensure our planet is preserved for future generations and Bags 4 My Cause is the perfect addition to our ongoing sustainable retailer efforts,” noted Manuel Haro, VP of strategy at Carlisle, Pa.-based Giant Food Stores. “With every bag purchased, our customers are helping to reduce waste and support local organizations that are close to their heart and make a real difference in their own community.”

To direct their $1 donation, shoppers have to first remove the scratch-off layer on the giving tag to uncover the unique identifier code. Then they can go online to enter the code and select the nonprofit to which they want to donate. 

Giant Food Stores has pre-populated a list with 3,500-plus nonprofits nonprofits in its store footprint of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Among the participating organizations are those supporting hunger relief, children’s health and well-being, and the armed forces. Nonprofits interested in taking part in program can submit a request to the grocer.

Customers can see the impact of the program on local communities and the environment by tracking online the number of organizations supported, donations to date, and the number of shopping bags saved by using reusable bags instead.

Giant Food Stores has more than 170 stores and 30,000-plus associates who believe in giving back to their community. The Giant family of brands encompasses Giant, Martin’s Food Markets, Giant Heirloom Market, and Giant Direct, Powered by Peapod. Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 4 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.