Stop & Shop Donates $40,000 to Grassroots Grocery

Stop & Shop presented a check for $40,000 to Grassroots Grocery at New Directions Secondary School (NDSS), in support of the expansion of their fresh free produce distributions across 10 public schools located in the Bronx, NY. This expansion is focused on helping Bronx students and their families gain more access to fresh fruits and vegetables. After the check presentation, Stop & Shop associates volunteered at the fresh produce distribution.

Grassroots Grocery currently holds monthly distributions where they provide 500 families with fresh produce at 10 current Stop & Shop School Food Pantries across the Bronx: New Directions Secondary School, In-Tech Academy, P.S. 196, Mott Hall Bronx High School, PS MS 31 William Lloyd Garrison School/KIPP Academy, MS 391 Angelo Patri School, Bronx Community College, Coop Tech, and P.S. 132 Garret Morgan Elementary School.

The donation from Stop & Shop will help fund Grassroots Grocery so they may donate over 33,000 pounds of fresh produce at over 60 school distribution events.

“At Stop & Shop, our primary charitable pillar is to combat hunger in all the communities we serve,” said Daniel Wolk, External Communications Manager of Stop & Shop. “Lack of access to fresh produce is a root cause of food insecurity, which is why we are proud to support Grassroots Grocery in their mission to remove accessibility barriers by bringing fresh produce pantries to our Bronx neighbors.”

Founded in 2020, Grassroots Grocery is a nonprofit organization within the Bronx that partners with trusted community leaders to make healthy food more accessible by bringing pantries to the people.

“As a former Bronx middle school teacher, I saw firsthand how food insecurity affects students and their ability to thrive,” said Dan Zauderer, CEO of Grassroots Grocery. “That experience planted the seed for Grassroots Grocery, and today, thanks to Stop & Shop’s support, we’re able to ensure that families in the Bronx have consistent access to fresh, nutritious produce. Their partnership allows us to supplement the incredible work of Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program, bringing healthy food directly to students and their families. This collaboration is a powerful example of what’s possible when we work together to nourish our communities, and I’m deeply grateful for Stop & Shop’s commitment to this mission.”

According to the Food Bank For NYC, among the boroughs the Bronx has the highest rate of food insecure residents at 20.2% or nearly 291,000 residents. In the Bronx an estimated 27.7% or more than 375,000 residents are living below the federal poverty level, and one-in-three children are food insecure. New Directions Secondary School is a Title I school which means it has a high percentage of children from low-income households. 100% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches with 100% and one-in-three students are considered “Housing Insecure”. The New Directions Secondary School Food Pantry, which is supported by Stop & Shop, on average feeds 50 students every week.

“The partnership with Stop & Shop and Grassroots Grocery has opened a door to necessary resources for the community,” said Jolyon P. Davis, Bridging the Gap Social Worker at New Directions Secondary School. “By directly inserting these resources into the school community, it has allowed us to impact the students, families, and community at large. Having food, a basic need, is such an important resource, and now that we have multiple streams of food each month, students know, at NDSS, we have their back. In collaboration with Stop & Shop and Grassroots Grocery, we are able to pour into our community to help bridge the food insecurity gap. By having passionate, motivated, and community-focused individuals, anything is possible, and that is shown not only in the fabric of Stop & Shop and Grassroots Grocery, but New Directions Secondary School efforts in bringing the full community together as one.”

In addition to supporting Grassroots Grocery, Stop & Shop currently helps fund more than 250 School Food Pantries across its five-state footprint. Across the city, there are 48 total school pantries, 15 in Queens, 13 in the Bronx, 14 in Brooklyn, 4 in Staten Island, 2 in Manhattan, and several more to open across the boroughs in 2025. Stop & Shop has donated over $1 million to support the 48 school food pantries in NYC. For more information about Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry program, visit https://stopandshop.com/pages/school-food-pantry-program.