Terry Goins Advances Piggly Wiggly’s Support of Our Mission Through Community Partnerships

When Terry Goins joined the team at Piggly Wiggly over two years ago, he jumped at the opportunity to deepen the local grocers’ support of Hunger Task Force. One of his first achievements in his new role was securing the sponsorship of Piggly Wiggly $5 Day at the Wisconsin State Fair. Through this promotion, fairgoers can donate two cans of healthy fruits or vegetables or make a financial contribution to Hunger Task Force at any gate to secure a voucher to attend opening day of the fair for just $5.

”Knowing who Piggly Wiggly is, and that we’re franchise owned, we needed to have a bigger presence in our community,” shares Terry. “I saw this as a great starting point to team up with the Wisconsin State Fair and Hunger Task Force. After the first successful year of the partnership, we looked at how we can further amplify it and continue to give back to the community in which we operate, which is a mission of ours as a local grocer. In its third year, more than 50 Piggly Wiggly employees will work the gates on opening day and look forward to seeing the volume of people who support Hunger Task Force.”

Piggly Wiggly grocery stores are in operation to connect individuals and families with affordable and healthy foods to put on their table – whether the food is purchased at a Piggly Wiggly grocery store or on the Hunger Task Force Mobile Market which is stocked by the grocer.

The relationship between Piggly Wiggly and Hunger Task Force deepened when the local grocer held a food drive for Hunger Task Force during the Marquette Women’s Volleyball rivalry game against UW-Madison last year. When fans donated two canned goods, they received a limited-edition rivalry towel. After its success, the food drive will be held again this upcoming season.

“As a huge sports fan, like so many Wisconsinites, partnerships like this one connect the dots,” adds Terry. ‘Not only do you get excited to cheer for your team, but you can share that joy with a household in need by making a food donation when you’re walking into the game. It’s a win, win for everyone.”

Another keyway Terry has deepened the company’s support of Hunger Task Force is connecting vendors with opportunities to donate product to Hunger Task Force. Recently, Kemps donated hundreds of individual cartons of shelf-stable milk. With childhood hunger at its peak during the summer, donations like this one help Hunger Task Force fill in the gaps to ensure children have access to nutritious foods and beverages when they cannot receive breakfast and lunch at school.

“We have partners who supply a variety of healthy groceries from fresh meat and produce to canned fruits and vegetables who are looking for ways to ensure healthy foods get into the hands of people who need it,” says Terry. “These partners want to help us address key community problems like affordability and geographic access to grocery stores.”

Hunger Task Force is incredibly grateful for the longstanding partnership with Piggly Wiggly and the recent friendship forged with Terry Goins to increase the amount of healthy food we can supply to our emergency food network that serves nearly 180,000 households across the state of Wisconsin every month.

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