The Vermont Foodbank is asking the community to "do nothing" about ending hunger. It is a community wide effort that includes support by Citizens Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets.
"It's a pretty innovative and creative initiative that brings the despair of being hungry in Vermont into focus for those who will hopefully never know the feeling," shared Bridgette Ritchie of Citizens Bank.
Now through Sept. 30, Vermont residents will have the opportunity to purchase cans of "nothing" - empty cans with slots for collections - at all participating Hann Governor Peter Shumlin joined representatives from the Vermont Foodbank and campaign underwriters Citizens Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets at the Hannaford store in South Burlington earlier this month to launch the initiative.
"I appreciate the commitment of these businesses to lead Vermont's fight against hunger in our state through the 'Nothing Can End Hunger' campaign," said Gov. Shumlin. "Coming off the national recession, the demand for food assistance here at home and across the country is huge. No one should go hungry. I am confident we can raise at least $40,000 to enable the Vermont Foodbank to ensure every Vermonter has access to nutritious meals."
Vermont is the ninth hungriest state in the country with 14 percent of all households experiencing food insecurity. Proceeds from the sale of each "can of nothing" will help provide 18 nourishing meals for a local family in need.
"The charitable food system is feeding more Vermonters than ever before. Cuts to the federal nutrition safety net, high unemployment, and food and housing costs mean more Vermont residents are making a choice between food and other necessities," said John Sayles, Chief Executive Officer, Vermont Foodbank. "At the Vermont Foodbank, we turn nothing into a commodity to help the hungry year round. We commend Citizens Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets for partnering with us on this campaign to end hunger within our communities."
"Investing in our community is a core value at Citizens. When we learned about this campaign, we immediately thought it was an innovative and exciting way to approach hunger awareness and we wanted to be a part of it," said Joe Carelli, President, Citizens Bank, Vermont. "Regardless of your ability to give - whether it's a financial gift, donating your time to volunteer, or helping to promote awareness - any and all support makes a difference. I am proud to say we can all do something about nothing."
"Nothing Can" purchasers are also invited to use the empty can to collect donations from friends, colleagues, and associates for the Vermont Foodbank. Filled cans can be returned at any participating Hannaford location. Hannaford Supermarkets will match all additional donations received through the return process.
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 24 branches and 46 ATMs in Vermont. RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $132 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG's two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). CFG's website is citizensbank.com.
About Hannaford Supermarkets Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 178 stores and employs 27,000 associates in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Most Hannaford locations have full-service pharmacies and all stores feature Guiding Stars, the nation's first storewide nutrition navigation system. For more information, visit the all-new www.hannaford.com.
by Margo Callaghan
aford locations throughout Vermont for $2.99 each. All proceeds collected will go directly to support the Vermont Foodbank.
