Smucker Donates its Company Store to Local Foodbank
J.M. Smucker Co. plans to provide material and financial support to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, including donating its Orrville, Ohio, retail store to the food bank to take over. It's also promised $1 million over five years to support the food bank's expanded operations in Wayne County.
“While the federal and Ohio state governments cut back on assistance to food banks … J.M. Smucker Co. is picking up the slack,” the Orrville, Ohio-based company said in a story given to the Akron Beacon Journal.
Smucker is donating its 19,000-sq.-ft. retail store, along with 30 acres of land, to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. The Smucker website says the store will close in January with the food bank reopening it next March.
Additionally, in partnership with the Wayne County Community Foundation, Smucker will provide $1 million over five years to support the food bank's expansion into Wayne County.
In April, food bank spokeswoman Raven Gayheart said federal and state cuts could leave the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank short 4.5 million pounds of food to distribute across the region this year, according to the Beacon Journal.
The food bank supports 630 food pantries, meal sites, shelters, and programs for children and older adults across eight counties — Carroll, Holmes, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.