Stop & Shop Helping Local Tornado Victims

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC is launching a solicitation campaign to raise funds to help those affected by the recent tornadoes in western Massachusetts, with 100 percent of donations going directly to the American Red Cross of Central and Western Massachusetts.

The campaign runs from June 17 through July 4 at all Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut. At checkout, customers will be able to make a contribution to the tornado victims and cleanup efforts, with any full dollar amount accepted.

Stop & Shop has designated the American Red Cross as the primary beneficiary of donations, because the organization has the reach and scope to help people who are directly affected by natural disasters.

“Stop & Shop wants to help, and our customers have also asked how they can help,” said said Mark McGowan, New England division president of the Quincy, Mass.-based chain. “The devastation in this area has impacted both our customers and associates.”

The initiative comes on the heels of Stop & Shop's immediate response to the local crisis, which has included various product and supply donations to the American Red Cross and West Springfield and Worcester Fire Departments, among other organizations. The banner’s store teams in the Springfield, Sturbridge, and Worcester areas have been running and taking part in area fundraisers to assist shoppers and fellow employees directly affected by the tornadoes.

A division of Ahold USA, Stop & Shop employs nearly 62,000 associates and operates more than 390 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey.