Stop & Shop Stores Aid Flood-ravaged Communities
QUINCY, Mass. -- Faced by days of record rainfall and what's being called the worst flooding in the region in 70 years, Stop & Shop, based here, has remained a steadfast presence: Not one of the retailer's stores have closed since the downpour started, the company reported.
Stop & Shop director of public affairs Faith Weiner said in a statement: "Weather emergencies tax all of us. This company has always had a strong commitment corporately and on a store level to the communities we serve. Closing anywhere was out of the question. Staying open and offering people assistance was foremost on our minds."
According to a preliminary Stop & Shop assessment, shoppers came out in numbers to buy extra supplies of milk, water, and eggs, as well as comfort food to ease the minds of those who have lost electricity or are facing a flooded basement.
According to Weiner, the instances of Stop & Shop's community assistance included the following:
--Peabody, Mass.: After 173 apartments for senior citizens were ruined by flooding, Stop & Shop immediately raised $100 per senior apartment in a stopgap donation, after the owner of the apartment complex offered a quadruple match to anything Stop & Shop put together.
--Exeter, N.H.: Stop & Shop ordered 25 extra pallets of bottled water ahead of time to prepare for demand. The usual order is one to two pallets every other day. The store reported that it sold 400 gallons of water a day, along with an increased demand in bread and milk. The retailer also donated $1000 worth of bread, paper cups, plates, and Boston Market prepared foods to a temporary shelter set up in a local high school.
--Gloucester, Mass.: Stop & Shop store manager Margaret Pelser donated essential nonperishable, single-serve foods such as crackers, cheese, health bars, juice, and water to the Red Cross for 30 senior citizens who had to be evacuated.
--Methuen, Mass. and Manchester, N.H.: Stop & Shop donated a lunch for Red Cross emergency workers.
--Hooksett, N.H.: Stop & Shop donated water, juice, and single-serve snacks to the local police department.
"While we are not police, firefighters or emergency response teams, our job is to feed New England regardless of the elements," noted Weiner. "Our people have a commitment to that task that is unmatched. This springtime deluge demonstrated that dedication in a manner that meet the traditions of this company."
Ahold-owned Stop & Shop employs more than 57,000 associates and operates 376 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey.
Stop & Shop director of public affairs Faith Weiner said in a statement: "Weather emergencies tax all of us. This company has always had a strong commitment corporately and on a store level to the communities we serve. Closing anywhere was out of the question. Staying open and offering people assistance was foremost on our minds."
According to a preliminary Stop & Shop assessment, shoppers came out in numbers to buy extra supplies of milk, water, and eggs, as well as comfort food to ease the minds of those who have lost electricity or are facing a flooded basement.
According to Weiner, the instances of Stop & Shop's community assistance included the following:
--Peabody, Mass.: After 173 apartments for senior citizens were ruined by flooding, Stop & Shop immediately raised $100 per senior apartment in a stopgap donation, after the owner of the apartment complex offered a quadruple match to anything Stop & Shop put together.
--Exeter, N.H.: Stop & Shop ordered 25 extra pallets of bottled water ahead of time to prepare for demand. The usual order is one to two pallets every other day. The store reported that it sold 400 gallons of water a day, along with an increased demand in bread and milk. The retailer also donated $1000 worth of bread, paper cups, plates, and Boston Market prepared foods to a temporary shelter set up in a local high school.
--Gloucester, Mass.: Stop & Shop store manager Margaret Pelser donated essential nonperishable, single-serve foods such as crackers, cheese, health bars, juice, and water to the Red Cross for 30 senior citizens who had to be evacuated.
--Methuen, Mass. and Manchester, N.H.: Stop & Shop donated a lunch for Red Cross emergency workers.
--Hooksett, N.H.: Stop & Shop donated water, juice, and single-serve snacks to the local police department.
"While we are not police, firefighters or emergency response teams, our job is to feed New England regardless of the elements," noted Weiner. "Our people have a commitment to that task that is unmatched. This springtime deluge demonstrated that dedication in a manner that meet the traditions of this company."
Ahold-owned Stop & Shop employs more than 57,000 associates and operates 376 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey.