Team Members from Zallie-Somerset ShopRite Stores Win Spots on Special Edition Cheerios Boxes
Team members from Zallie-Somerset stores are pictured on special edition 2021 Cheerios boxes that call attention to the struggle of being food-insecure, while also thanking people who have worked to make a difference.
The honor reflects results of a contest co-sponsored by Cheerios-maker General Mills and ShopRite cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. Proceeds go to the ShopRite Partners In Caring initiative.
ShopRite of West Deptford, which placed fourth in the annual fund-raising contest, earned spots in the photo compilation for four team members. ShopRites of Chews Landing, Medford, and Williamstown each earned spots for two team members.
ShopRite of West Deptford
ShopRite of West Deptford raised $28,772. Being ranked within the top five gave the store the privilege of directing $3,000 in donations, which went to Catholic Charities of Gloucester County and Deptford-based Jericho-Deptford Community Development. Honored from ShopRite of West Deptford were:
Debbie Schilling of Gloucester Township, an administrative coordinator who has worked at ShopRite stores for four years.
Melanie Gulla of Clementon, a courtesy team member who has an 11-year history with ShopRite stores.
Genie Stettler of Gloucester Township, a 20-year employee who has worked in several stores and is now the Front End and ShopRite from Home coordinator in West Deptford.
Sheri Hock of West Deptford, a catering delivery driver who has been with the company more than nine years.
ShopRite of Chews Landing
ShopRite of Chews Landing raised $17,080, and directed $500 donations to Park Avenue Community Church and Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of Hope Parish in Blackwood. Honored from ShopRite of Chews Landing were:
Bryan Preston of West Deptford, who has worked at ShopRite stores for 26 years. He was the director of non-perishables at the Chews Landing store during the 2020 contest, and now holds that position at the West Berlin store.
Gail Abrams of Washington Township, an administrative coordinator who has a 19-year history with ShopRite.
ShopRite of Medford
ShopRite of Medford raised $22,764. The store designated the Christian Caring Center in Browns Mills to receive a $500 donation. Honored from ShopRite of Medford were:
Bryan Warsing of Mount Laurel, a 32-year employee who currently is a grocery manager.
Patricia Parzyck of Southampton, a cashier for five years.
ShopRite of Williamstown
ShopRite of Williamstown raised $11,153, and directed a $500 donation to St. Matthew’s Community Development Center in Williamstown. Honored from ShopRite of Williamstown were:
Donna Beltran of East Greenwich has held several positions in her 17-year career with the company; she is currently the front-end manager at ShopRite of Glassboro.
Anna Morley of Folsom has a 23-year history with ShopRite and currently works as a cashier in Williamstown.
Thank You to All of Our Winners
All of those team members joined colleagues from other ShopRite stores to be pictured on the iconic Cheerios box that has also featured Olympic athletes. The special edition boxes were sold only in ShopRite stores.
“Because it is a focus of our company’s philanthropy, we are always aware of food insecurities,” said David Zallie, owner of Zallie-Somerset Inc. and its 11 ShopRite stores. “Many more people felt that insecurity in 2020, so our annual friendly competition among stores took on a deeper meaning.”
ShopRite team members across hundreds of stores collected donations at check-out and host events in stores to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger. Much of that fundraising took place during September – Hunger Action Month – and the 50 top fundraising stores earn spots on the cereal box.
To date, ShopRite team members have raised nearly $50 million – money that has supported 2,200 charities working to fight hunger.
Some of that funding is distributed to soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, senior citizen centers, and other organizations by the ShopRite Partners In Caring initiative. Stores that score highly in the annual competition not only have team members featured on the cereal box, they get to directly designate local organizations to receive donations. The remainder of funds raised through the friendly competition will be shared at the discretion of Partners In Caring in the southern New Jersey area.
The 2020 theme of “Ending Hunger Together” was taken to heart by Zallie-Somerset team members at all of the company’s ShopRite locations. In addition to Cheerios box representation from the stores in Chews Landing, Medford, West Deptford, and Williamstown, fundraising in stores in Laurel Hill, Lawnside, Gibbstown, Glassboro, Sicklerville and West Berlin, as well as a store in Philadelphia, raised a total that topped $118,000.
“This has been a challenging year for our team members, who worked long hours to restock shelves and manage those visiting our stores,” Zallie said. “To have them put forth even more energy to help people in need makes us all very proud. When we say, ‘Ending Hunger Together,’ we really mean it.”