Stop & Shop called up to the big leagues

Stop & Shop is now the official grocery store of the New York Mets, joining forces with the team to fight food insecurity across New York City and Long Island. The partnership will focus on Stop & Shop’s School Food Pantry Program, which supports more than 260 schools across the company’s five-state footprint with in-school pantries that ensure kids in need have consistent access to healthy food.

In New York City, Stop & Shop has donated over $2 million to date to support in-school food pantries at nearly 50 schools, including 15 right in the Mets’ backyard in Queens, where food insecurity impacts many borough residents:

• The federal government’s proposed cuts to SNAP spending could impact 1.8 million New Yorkers, including 560,000 children.
• 25 percent of families in Queens lack reliable access to nutritious food.
• More than 325,000 Queens residents are dealing with food insecurity
• 20 percent of children in Queens are food insecure.
• Food pantries and soup kitchens in Queens have reported not having enough food to meet current demand.

As part of the partnership, the Mets Citi Field Food Truck will make deliveries of hot meals and fresh produce, donated by Stop & Shop, to Stop & Shop’s school food pantries across Queens and Long Island. These efforts are part of a shared commitment to ensuring local families have access to nutritious food and vital resources.

“We’re honored to team up with the New York Mets to take on food insecurity, starting right in Queens,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Stop & Shop. “With team’s deep roots in the community and our shared commitment to ‘Feeding It Forward’ and nourishing families, we believe this partnership will make a meaningful difference where it’s needed most.”