QUINCY, Mass., Feb. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Committed to caring for its communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Stop & Shop is providing free, fresh meals to staff at mass vaccinations sites across the states it serves. The donations, which will include hundreds of sandwiches and salads weekly, began last week and will continue into the spring as efforts to administer the COVID-19 vaccinations across the Northeast continue to ramp up.
“When the pandemic first hit, Stop & Shop stepped up to donate 5,000 meals a day to medical first responders at hospitals working around the clock to care for COVID patients,” said Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid. “Now, we’re stepping up to support vaccination site staff as they provide indispensable help in the effort to get as many people in our communities vaccinated as swiftly as possible. We hope this gesture of appreciation keeps them energized and encouraged.”
Stop & Shop has teamed up with CIC Health, a Cambridge-based health tech company, which operates both the Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park mass vaccination sites in partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other collaborators. The donated meals are coming at a crucial time as both sites are ramping up to providing thousands of shots to residents each day.
“We are so grateful for our frontline staff at both Gillette Stadium and Fenway Park,” said CIC Health Co-Founder and CEO Tim Rowe. “These mass vaccination sites are a critical component of the State’s vaccine distribution plan and, quite simply, would not be possible without these individuals and their hard work. Stop & Shop’s generous meal donations serve as not only a thank you to these workers, but also as a means to ensure they are taken care of while they are taking care of others.”
Additional donations are also underway at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center mega-site in the City of Boston, the Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment Complex in New Jersey and at Post University in Waterbury, which will be administering up to 2,000 vaccines per day in Connecticut.
Stop & Shop began feeding frontline medical workers back in April of 2020, providing 5,000 meals a day to five hospitals in areas across the Northeast hardest hit by COVID-19. Knowing medical workers were too busy to go grocery shopping, Stop & Shop delivered free bags of groceries to nurses and others caring for COVID-19 patients right to the hospital.
Stop & Shop also continues to feed frontline hospital workers who are now simultaneously caring for COVID patients – while also working to administer vaccines. Stop & Shop is providing hundreds of snacks and beverages to two leading Long Island Hospitals – Mt. Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, NY and Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue, NY. Stop & Shop will also provide Mt. Sinai South Nassau with 1,250 lunches – a donation led by its local Oceanside, NY, store in celebration of the store’s recent remodel and commitment to the community.
In addition to supplying food, Stop & Shop is also supplying the COVID-19 vaccine at select pharmacies across the Northeast. Currently, select Stop & Shop pharmacies in Massachusetts and New York are administering the vaccine, by appointment only. Stop & Shop anticipates all 250 of its pharmacies will be able to administer the vaccine in the coming months. For more information about receiving a COVID-19 vaccine at Stop & Shop, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.stopandshop.com/covid-vaccine.
About Stop & Shop
A neighborhood grocer for more than 100 years, today's Stop & Shop is refreshed, reenergized and inspired, delivering new conveniences for customers. Committed to helping its communities enjoy better food and better lives, Stop & Shop has a longstanding history of giving back to the neighborhoods it serves with a focus on fighting hunger and pediatric cancer research and care. The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC, an Ahold Delhaize USA Company, employs nearly 58,000 associates and operates over 400 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. To learn more about Stop & Shop, visit www.stopandshop.com.
About CIC Health
CIC Health offers comprehensive COVID-19 testing and vaccination services that are accessible, fast, and easy. We collaborate with private and public entities like CLIA-certified labs, physician networks, health care institutions, and state and municipal governments. CIC Health is a Tech Top 50 Company in Massachusetts and a subsidiary of Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), a global leader in building innovation communities. Learn more at cic-health.com.
Contact:
Maria Fruci
Maria.Fruci@stopandshop.com