Company : Dollar General
Program category : Food Insecurity

Origins:

Dollar General (DG) cares about and is invested in the health of its hometown communities. Given its expansive footprint of 20,000+ stores across 48 states, the Company is uniquely positioned to help increase affordable access to nutritious foods and address food insecurity. Millions of Americans rely on DG to provide convenient access to the household essentials, including foods, and approximately 75% of the U.S. population currently lives within five miles of a DG. Recently, the retailer:
• Launched its ‘Food First’ initiative, providing customers with a wider variety of food options including healthier products;
• Expanded its fresh produce offerings to more than 5,400 DG stores with more than 1,000 in USDA-defined ”food deserts,” giving DG more individual points of produce distribution than any other U.S. mass retailer or grocer; and
• Annually supported and expanded its partnership with Feeding America to address food insecurity, especially in rural areas, which combines resources of the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and the nation’s largest retailer by store count.
DG upholds its commitment to address food insecurity through its growth, offerings and community-focused partnerships as helping customers meet and access their basic needs is a top priority for DG.

Contribution:

• Since 2021, DG has donated more than 23 million meals through in-kind food donations from stores and distribution centers across the country and more than $3 million to Feeding America, helping 44 million Americans who are currently food insecure.
• To increase access to healthier foods including produce and address food insecurity across the US, DG has answered the call from many communities that previously had no other retail options for fresh food. The retailer either added new stores or remodeled stores to provide fresh produce in communities including Fruitdale, TX; Bluford, IL; Mellville, LA, Kingston Township, MI; Chatom, AL; Hitchcock, TX; Lockney, TX; South Park, MI; Sopchoppy, FL; and Fort Payne, AL, Cedar Falls, CT; Silver Lake, KS and others.
• As part of the ‘Food First’ initiative in 2023, DG expanded its private label brand, Clover Valley, to include more than 600 food items with competitive prices with the largest discount retailers.

Objectives:

DG’s in-kind donations from stores and distribution centers from across the country, alongside financial donations to Feeding America help provide food access in rural and otherwise underserved communities, helping those who may otherwise go without nutritious foods. DG seeks to add, remodel and relocate stores to best fit customers’ and communities’ needs, often in communities where other retailers either can’t or won’t serve. Food First seeks to provide customers with a wider variety of healthier options, including fresh food, while striving to offer its wide consumable product selection for a competitively affordable price.

Impact:

With Dollar General’s growth and evolution of the Company’s business model, DG has continued to keep its customer at the center of all it does. In doing so, it now provides customers with access to the components of a nutritious meal, such as milk and dairy products, bread, eggs, lean proteins, grains and frozen or canned fruits and vegetables in all 20,000+ stores. DG’s Food First initiative reflects the Company’s ongoing focus on providing access to affordable and nutritious food options with its expanded Clover Valley options, helping customers stretch their budget while making healthier options. When fully operational, DG seeks to provide up to 20 million meals each year, which will also nearly double the number of stores in which Feeding America services.

Quote:

“With our extensive store footprint, often in communities others cannot or have chosen not to serve, Dollar General is uniquely positioned to help combat hunger by offering convenient access to a variety of nutritious foods at affordable prices. - Todd Vasos, CEO, Dollar General

Support Statement:

Bluford, Illinois Village President Michael Bullard sent a letter to DG CEO Todd Vasos, sharing how his community was proud to have their DG store. Before the Bluford location opened, residents drove 15 miles roundtrip to shop at another DG store that offered fresh foods. “This is a tremendous asset to our community, and we are absolutely thrilled Dollar General has selected our Village to establish this store. As a small rural village, we are committed to making every effort to assure its success,” he stated. Speaking to DG’s partnership with Feeding America, CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot shared, “The movement to end hunger needs all of us. We are grateful that Dollar General is an important partner in that movement, as we work together to help people across the nation access the nutritious food they need to thrive.”