More than 14,600 students recognized for
volunteering to serve local communities and fight hunger and
waste
CINCINNATI, June 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) today
shared that 14,656 students across America have been named Zero
Heroes through the retailer's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste youth
engagement program. Students earned service awards for taking
action during the 2023-2024 school year to create communities free
from hunger and waste and advance United Nations (UN)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 12: Zero
Hunger and Responsible Consumption and
Production. This year, Zero Hero student award winners
completed 107,175 volunteer hours, generating a community impact
value of $3.5 million.
"We are inspired and energized by our 2023-2024 class of Zero
Heroes. These bright students reflect the spirit of our Zero Hunger
| Zero Waste mission, and we are grateful for their dedication and
achievements in communities from coast to coast," said Denise
Osterhues, Kroger's senior director of sustainability and social
impact. "Their commitment to service is a great reminder that we
can each make a big difference through everyday actions. By working
together to fight hunger and waste, we can make a larger impact in
our communities."
To amplify community service opportunities related to Kroger's
Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan, the retailer developed
the youth engagement program in 2019 in collaboration with
InnerView—a leading platform to empower student volunteers.
InnerView offers paths for students to explore volunteer
opportunities, capture service activities, develop skills through
impact-driven projects and demonstrate community impact aligned
with the Global Goals.
Since the 2019-2020 school year, more than 46,425 youth Zero
Heroes completed a total of more than 365,0575 volunteer service
hours. Their achievements generated a total community impact value
of $10.8 million.
Through the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste youth engagement
program, students earn awards and develop a personal community
service résumé detailing their hours of service and areas
of positive social impact. Sample activities include
volunteer at a soup kitchen, pack meals at a food bank, help with
or organize a food drive or start a school food pantry. Students
are encouraged to explore the Global Goals and engage in local
volunteer efforts that align with their passions.
In 2023, for the second consecutive year, Kroger created a
15-member Youth Advisory Council of committed student leaders
across the United States who invested time and talent
into pressing issues including hunger, climate, responsible
consumption and recycling. Each student participated in Kroger-led
collaborative sessions with guest speakers, discussions on Zero
Hunger | Zero Waste, and design challenges to create Zero Hunger |
Zero Waste-aligned Community Impact projects, supported by a
charitable micro-grant from Kroger.
The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste engagement program is offered to
all students ages 14 to 24 in the United States. To learn more about the Zero
Hero award and community service award levels, please
visit here.
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR),
we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™. We are,
across our family of companies nearly 420,000 associates who serve
over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping
experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner
names, serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and
creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us,
visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
About InnerView Technologies
InnerView is the leading and most equitable youth social
responsibility platform to help students, groups, and schools
highlight community service impact, skill development, and connect
with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and organizations with
innovative programs to drive positive change. Learn more at
InnerView.org
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.