***UPDATE on Thursday Feb. 9, SpartanNash stated via email:
"SpartanNash said they're modernizing the ways they give back to the community. One new program is called 'Our Family Cares.' It’s digital and community-based, the dollars will stay local in the communities they serve and will support their pillars of hunger, heroes, and hope."***
Some local nonprofits, charities, and other organizations may soon see less charitable dollars coming their way.
SpartanNash, which has provided over $2.2 million to their partner nonprofits, is sunsetting its Direct Your Dollars program on March 1, 2023.
“I know that a lot of people specifically for SpartanNash’s Direct Your Dollars program, I think it was driving customers to shop there because they knew ‘Hey, I can help support my school by saving receipts,” said Kate Vincent, PTO president at Forest Hills Central High School.
Vincent said the programs like that are significant because they support teachers and academic staff at schools in various neighborhoods.
“Every year PTO receives requests from teachers and administration for books, arts supplies, being able to display things on the wall, different science projects that they need experimental products for,” Vincent said during an interview with FOX 17 on Monday. “All of those things from every possible thing you can imagine. Calculators, calculators, we get requests for calculators. They’re very expensive all the time.”
It’s not just SpartanNash that’s sunsetting one of its charitable programs; Amazon is too. The global online company recently announced that they’re ending their charitable program Amazon Smile on February 20, 2023.
“It’s sad and it makes you wonder the whys, which I can’t speak to and can’t understand,” Vincent said. “I’m hoping that it means that they’re just rolling out a bigger and better program.”
According to SpartanNash, that's exactly what they're doing. In a February 9 phone conversation with Fox 17, SpartanNash said they're modernizing the program. It's calledOur Family Cares. It's digital and community-based, and it will keep the dollars within the community.
In an original statement emailed to Fox 17 on Monday February 6, SpartanNash said:
“SpartanNash loves giving back to the communities we serve. The amount we are supporting the community is not changing, but we are going to be rolling out more efficient ways we will continue to contribute to the community.”
- SpartanNash is committed to building local relationships as part of our corporate social responsibility initiatives. Our Direct Your Dollars™ program was one of the many ways in which we partnered with our retail communities to help our neighbors. We’re proud to say that, since 2016, SpartanNash has granted over $2.2 million to nonprofit partners throughout the states we serve.
- While we appreciate those who participated in the program, we are excited to offer new, updated and more efficient giving programs for our community partners. We realize the importance of giving back to the communities we serve and are excited to provide these improved programs that are tailored to meet the individual needs of our nonprofit organizations.
- The local giving will be directed by leaders at our retail stores – such as Family Fare, D&W Fresh Market, Forest Hills Foods and Ada Fresh Market – here in West Michigan, as they have a good pulse on the needs of the community.
Lori’s Voice will also be impacted by the program sunsetting, said director Marianne Hunderman. She provided the following statement to FOX 17:
“We really appreciate the help that SpartanNash gave us over the years with their program. We’re sorry to see it go but we appreciate the years that they had.”
Amazon stated on its website that they’ll “continue to pursue and invest in other areas where it can make meaningful change.”
As for Vincent, she said the PTO will stay in touch with SpartanNash, in addition to coming up with new ways to provide financial resources for their teachers.
“I’m hoping they come up with new programs,” Vincent said. “I’m hoping that we can go to them directly because we try to do that as well, to ask and say ‘Hey would you be willing to sponsor? Would you be willing to help out with things to be able to help out?'”
