Stop & Shop Touts Local Produce

Stop & Shop New England will hold a "Here We Grow" event at all 213 of the division's stores on Saturday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to highlight the Ahold USA chain's locally grown produce. Child attendees will receive a "Buy Local" canvas bag, coloring book and seed packets while supplies last.

Additionally, Stop & Shop stores in Beverly and Somerset, Mass., Newport, R.I., and Cromwell, Conn., are hosting meet-and-greets with local farmers whose crops are sold in the area, while select stores are also offering produce sampling from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with Stop & Shop bean-bag toss games.

Further, all New England and New York Metro Stop & Shop produce departments now feature a photo cutout at which customers can take photos of themselves or family members and post to Stop & Shop's Facebook page through the end of July for a shot at winning a $25 gift card and a canvas bag. Two winners are chosen each week.

The banner has forged partnerships with more than 40 farmers who provide an assortment of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables grown in nearby communities.

"Stop & Shop has a long history of partnering with local farmers to provide our customers with the best seasonal produce," noted Jack Keane, director of produce and floral merchandising for Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop New England. "Through these partnerships, we are able to get fruits and vegetables from the fields to our stores quickly to ensure quality and freshness. When you buy local produce from Stop & Shop, you know you are getting the freshest product."

Customers can go online for complete information on Stop & Shop's local produce, including recipes and cooking tips for fresh summer produce, a list and map of where the produce comes from, and videos of featured local farmers.

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC employs about 59,000 associates and operates 395 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.