A pilot program that delivers fresh food to Colorado residents in need has the potential to become prevalent in other communities the convenience retailer serves.
By David Bennett, Senior Editor
Convenience retailer Kum & Go is exploring the power of fresh food as part of a program that targets a whole different group of consumers.
The West Des Moines, Iowa-based convenience chain and Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado on Jan. 17, 2017 announced a food rescue pilot program at a grand opening at one of Kum & Go’s Colorado Springs stores. Through the food rescue program, Kum & Go is donating safe, prepared excess food for distribution to partner agencies. Items donated include breakfast sandwiches, hot and cold lunch sandwiches, salad and produce, fresh packaged bread and mini bakery items.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
In the first six weeks of the program, Kum & Go donated 2,568 individual food items worth $7,000. Those numbers will continue to climb as foot traffic rolls into the spring months.
“This is our first formal endeavor into food rescue with fresh food, said Kristie Bell, Kum & Go’s director of communications. “We have, from time to time, donated excess packaged products but only on an ad hoc basis. This is the first formalized program that is designed to scale to all of our Colorado Springs stores by the end of the year, and hopefully to all of our stores in the coming years.”
Kum and Go currently operates more than 50 stores in Colorado. It was a proposal by the Colorado charity that piqued the interest of Kum & Go stakeholders.
“Care and Share had submitted a grant proposal to us in 2016 and we were so impressed with their programming, our director of philanthropy, Carrie Clogg, decided to engage with them to learn more about all their great work,” said Bell. “After learning of their expertise with food rescue, Clogg engaged our sustainability manager, Derek Nelson, and one thing led to another. This seemed like a perfect fit for our excess food. Care and Share has been an incredible partner, really helping us every step of the way.”
The food earmarked is distributed to local agencies via Tri-Lakes Cares, a partner agency to Care and Share. These agencies then distribute the different products to hungry residents.
Nelson said the company is encouraged by the early results of the fresh food rescue program. Expansion plans are currently underway for additional Colorado Springs stores to begin participation in April.
“By the end of June we anticipate adding stores throughout the greater Colorado Springs area,” said Nelson. “Once the Colorado Springs program has been fully implemented, we will conduct an evaluation to streamline the process and make improvements if necessary. From there, we look to roll out additional food rescue programs in other markets.”
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Like many convenience store chains, Kum & Go embraces any opportunity to give back to the communities they operate in. However, few c-stores boast a wider array of charitable causes than the Iowa retailer.
“We have a strong philanthropic and sustainability focus, and this project is a perfect intersection of the two,” Bell said. “We are giving back to the communities where we operate, while at the same time reducing the amount of food and food packaging that ends up in the landfill.
Among a host of other volunteer programs, which the company participates in, Kum & Go has built a long tradition with its participation in Habitat for Humanity. States such as Colorado, North Dakota and South Dakota have proven ample grounds for Kum and Go employees to put hammers to nails in project houses that have been constructed over the last few years.