Hannaford Supermarkets announced Thursday the 2016 launch of Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger, a charitable campaign focused on helping feed individuals who do not have access to enough nutritious food.

Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger is a partnership between the supermarket and its customers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York to provide food and monetary donations to local pantries and regional food banks. Donations benefit the nearly one in seven Americans – 42.2 million people -- who do not have access to all the nutritious food they need. 

Last year, Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger generated enough food and cash donations to purchase 679,000 meals for individuals at risk of going hungry in the Northeast.

“This program makes it convenient for Hannaford customers to support neighbors who are struggling,” said Eric Blom, company spokesman. “At a time when the need continues to grow, Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger allows people to make donations right at the supermarket and purchase food items that trigger matching donations by Hannaford."

Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger has three parts:

• Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger Boxes: Customers purchase a box of food staples for $10, and choose whether to have the box delivered to the local pantry or to donate it personally. With every box purchased, customers receive a coupon book containing $21 in coupons.
• Register Donation: Throughout the month of December, customers may donate money to a local food pantry, in $5 increments, right at the register. Donors will receive a coupon book containing $21 in coupons.
• Buy One, Give One: For four weeks, starting Nov. 20 customers can trigger Hannaford donations to food banks by purchasing a particular product on specific days. For each item purchased, Hannaford will donate an identical product to the state or regional food bank.

Each Hannaford store determines what local food pantries to support. Stores compete with one another to encourage donations.

“Hannaford works all year to help fight hunger in the communities we serve, with regular donations, awareness efforts and other support,” Blom said. “We are particularly proud of the generosity shown by customers during the holiday season through Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger.”

Since 2008, Hannaford Helps Fight Hunger has contributed a total of more than $7.7 million in food, customer cash gifts and Hannaford cash donations to local food pantries and food banks.