ShopRite employees from across the Northeast appear on the new Cheerios boxes.
HARRISON TWP. -- The next time you stroll down the cereal aisle, you may spot a familiar face looking back at you.
Eighty-one ShopRite employees from around the region are featured on special edition Cheerios boxes to mark the grocery chain's annual campaign to fight hunger.
ShopRite stores around the Northeast raised $1.3 million as part of the ShopRite Partners in Caring Cheerios Contest. With the theme of "Lending a Hand for Hunger," store employees collected donations at check-out and held a variety of in-store events last September to support regional food banks in areas where the stores are located.
The stores that raised the most selected two employees each to be immortalized on the 150,000 special edition boxes.
ShopRite of Mullica Hill, which raised nearly $11,000 for the Food Bank of South Jersey, hosted an unveiling of the new boxes on Thursday afternoon. Store employees Lawrence Moore and Elizabeth Schmidt are featured on the boxes.
ShopRite Partners in Caring spokeswoman Orien Reid talked about the importance of the program before introducing the honorees.
"The truth is that hunger is persistent," Reid told the assembled crowd. "It's not just in the city. ... We're talking about 750,000 people in the Delaware Valley that have a persistent problem in that they are hungry. They are food insecure and don't know where their next meal is coming from."
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Store manager Eric Burke praised Moore and Schultz for their efforts in organizing a series of in-store events to highlight Partners in Caring. "They did a tremendous amount of work," Burke said.
Moore and Schultz were presented with their very own Cheerios boxes encased in plastic as well-wishers and representatives from ShopRite and General Mills gathered to take photos.
"It's a great opportunity," Schmidt said of the recognition. "I'm glad we could help everyone in our community."
Moore, who also serves as Harrison Township fire commissioner, praised store management and ownership for their support and his colleagues for helping make the anti-hunger drive a success. "I really have to thank all my co-workers. All of this couldn't happen without them."
He ended by offering a challenge to the entire Harrison Township community to help raise the most money any ShopRite has ever collected for the next campaign.
"I think that if we all come together as a township and really put in the time and effort, I really think we could raise the most money," he said.
Other area ShopRites with employees featured on the boxes include stores in Berlin, Glassboro, Gibbstown, West Deptford, Williamstown and Vineland.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.