The Fresh Market Partners With Feeding America to Fight Hunger This September
The Fresh Market is renewing its commitment to fighting hunger by partnering with Feeding America throughout September, giving shoppers an easy way to support families and individuals facing food insecurity. The specialty grocery retailer’s annual fundraising campaign is part of Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort led by Feeding America to raise awareness about hunger and encourage people, businesses and communities to take action.
During September, customers visiting The Fresh Market’s 172 stores will be invited to participate in the retailer’s fundraising initiative by rounding up their purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout or making a donation of their choice. The campaign is designed to make charitable giving simple while directing critical resources toward local food banks and hunger-relief programs.
According to the companies, nearly 48 million people in the United States are experiencing food insecurity, including approximately 14 million children. For families already dealing with household budget pressures, access to nutritious food can be a significant challenge. The Fresh Market and Feeding America are using their partnership to help address that immediate need while supporting broader efforts to build greater food security over the long term.
Turning Small Donations Into Meaningful Support
One of the key elements of this year’s campaign is the impact that individual customer contributions can have when combined across The Fresh Market’s nationwide store network.
For every dollar donated through the campaign, Feeding America can help secure at least 10 meals on behalf of local food banks. The fundraising structure also emphasizes community-level impact. Ninety percent of the funds raised at each participating store will be directed to the Feeding America partner food bank serving that community, based on the shopper’s ZIP code. The remaining 10% will support Feeding America’s national activities.
This approach allows customers to see their contributions become part of a larger hunger-relief network while keeping much of the financial support close to the communities where it was raised.
Brian Johnson, CEO of The Fresh Market, said the partnership reflects the important role food can play in bringing communities together and helping families build healthier futures.
The retailer raised more than $155,000 through the initiative last year. For the 2026 campaign, The Fresh Market is aiming to surpass that total and increase the amount of support reaching people experiencing food insecurity.
A Checkout Campaign With Community Impact
The roundup model has become a familiar way for grocery shoppers to participate in charitable campaigns without requiring a separate trip or complicated donation process. At The Fresh Market, customers can simply choose to round up their purchase or contribute another amount when completing their transaction.
That convenience is particularly important for campaigns centered on broad community participation. A small contribution from one shopper may seem modest, but thousands of individual donations can create a substantial pool of resources for food banks and meal programs.
The partnership also connects The Fresh Market’s role as a food retailer with the broader challenge of food insecurity. Grocery stores are uniquely positioned within local communities because they interact with consumers every day and have established relationships with food producers, suppliers, nonprofit organizations and community groups.
By incorporating hunger relief into the everyday shopping experience, The Fresh Market is encouraging customers to become part of that larger community effort.
Hunger Action Month Highlights the Continuing Need
Hunger Action Month takes place every September and serves as Feeding America’s annual nationwide campaign to increase understanding of food insecurity and encourage action.
The campaign comes at a time when many households continue to manage tight budgets and elevated food costs. Even when families are working and carefully managing their spending, unexpected expenses can make it difficult to maintain consistent access to nutritious meals.
Feeding America’s network works with local food banks, food pantries, meal programs, volunteers and community organizations to provide immediate food assistance while also supporting initiatives designed to address the underlying causes of hunger.
Elizabeth Pettengill, Feeding America’s interim vice president of corporate and foundation partnerships, emphasized that addressing hunger requires cooperation among individuals, businesses, nonprofits and communities.
The Fresh Market’s September campaign is therefore more than a fundraising effort at checkout. It represents one part of a larger network of actions intended to connect people with food today while helping create greater stability for the future.
Food Donations Extend Beyond the September Campaign
The Fresh Market’s relationship with Feeding America also extends beyond the annual September fundraiser.
The retailer regularly donates unsold food to local food banks that are part of the Feeding America network. Food that might otherwise go to waste can instead be redirected to organizations supporting people and families who need assistance.
This ongoing food donation effort complements the September fundraising campaign by providing another way for the retailer to contribute to hunger-relief efforts. Together, financial donations and food donations can help food banks respond to immediate community needs while making use of available food resources.
For a specialty grocery retailer focused on fresh foods, reducing food waste while supporting hunger-relief organizations creates a natural connection between its day-to-day operations and its community commitments.
Building a Stronger Community Through Partnership
The Fresh Market describes its mission as helping customers discover fresh foods, unique ingredients and convenient meal solutions. Its partnership with Feeding America adds another dimension to that mission by recognizing that access to food is fundamental to healthy and thriving communities.
The company currently operates more than 170 stores across 22 states and has received recognition from USA Today and Newsweek for its customer service and specialty grocery offerings. Its partnership with Feeding America provides an opportunity to engage shoppers across its store network in a cause that directly affects communities nationwide.
The 2026 campaign also demonstrates how retailers can use their customer relationships and physical locations to encourage charitable giving. Rather than treating community support as a once-a-year activity, The Fresh Market is combining an annual fundraising campaign with an ongoing food donation program.
Encouraging Shoppers to Take Action
Throughout September, customers at The Fresh Market stores can participate simply by choosing to round up their purchase or making a donation at checkout. The funds will then contribute to Feeding America’s hunger-relief efforts, with the majority of store-level proceeds benefiting the local food bank associated with the customer’s ZIP code.
The retailer’s goal of exceeding last year’s $155,000 fundraising total reflects its desire to expand the campaign’s reach and provide additional assistance to people facing food insecurity.
Ultimately, the partnership demonstrates how everyday shopping decisions can become opportunities for community support. By joining forces with Feeding America during Hunger Action Month, The Fresh Market is encouraging customers to take a small action that, when multiplied across its stores, can help provide meals and strengthen local hunger-relief networks.
As September unfolds, the campaign places a simple message at the center of the shopping experience: ending hunger requires collective action. Through customer donations, food recovery and partnerships with local food banks, The Fresh Market and Feeding America are working to ensure that more families have access to the food they need—not only today, but as communities work toward a more food-secure future.
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