community development
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We have an opportunity to increase access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food for people in low-income communities and vulnerable situations. We’re working to make this a reality by intentionally and strategically expanding our presence in low-income communities and partnering with organizations already leading the charge.
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How is this better for all?
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OUR PEOPLE
Giving our people the opportunity to meaningfully contribute to increased food security generates pride in our work and furthers our collective Better for All efforts.
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OUR COMMUNITIES
Directly addressing the barriers preventing underserved communities from having access to culturally appropriate, fresh, healthy food and essential items helps get to the root of socioeconomic inequities and invest in needs-based infrastructure and support.
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OUR WORLD
Investing in communities through fund distribution, volunteerism, and in-kind contributions creates paths to global socioeconomic equity – addressing these disparities is part of creating a more just and equitable planet.
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Whether it’s through associate volunteering, donating food, or providing financial support, we always think creatively about how to support communities in need and carefully select partners that align with our mission.
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UNFI Foundation
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Donating & Distributing Food
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Associate Volunteerism
We’re incredibly proud of the way the UNFI Foundation grants have helped make farming and food access initiatives possible, and we know there’s always more we can do to elevate and innovate our approach. Our annual giving supports nonprofits across the U.S. that are addressing pressing challenges in our food system and helps us to extent our reach beyond our direct business operations and channel funds to the people and programs who are changing the way food is grown, accessed, and enjoyed. We view our UNFI Foundation grants not as mere dollars and cents, but as roots we are deepening to build the food systems we know are possible.
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The UNFI Foundation’s new Strategic Plan centers a collaborative philanthropy model, strengthens alignment to our Better for All strategy, maximizes resources, deepens partnerships, and leverages our expertise to help create a food system that is better for all.
Our go-forward funding priorities:
- Climate Smart Agriculture: promoting regenerative practices for land and communities
- Food Access Innovations: driving innovative solutions to food insecurity
- Food Equity: improving inclusivity and representation in the food system
- Local Food Economies: investing in local and regional food systems
Learn more about the UNFI Foundation here.
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We work in food distribution – this means we have the opportunity to not only distribute food to retail customers, but also to increase equitable access to food for people in low-income communities and for those in vulnerable situations.
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We take great pride in our food donation and salvage programs. We partner with Feeding America – the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States – to execute donations with regional food banks throughout the country. Where we have entities that are without a local Feeding America-affiliated food bank, our distribution centers establish partnerships and issue donations to other local banks and pantries working to address hunger. Our ability to capture and donate food for human consumption is one example of how we seek the highest eligible value outlet for our outgoing material that is no longer sellable.
We also view our expansion into conventional food stores as a major contribution to our food access efforts and ambition to make high-quality, nutritious food more available and affordable.
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Our new volunteer champion campaign was established to drive volunteerism among our associates and adoption of the Associate Action Hub platform. Our senior leadership team helped to identify volunteer champions who drive the campaign forward, and associates who logged volunteer hours received redeemable rewards points.
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While our remote work policy offers associates greater flexibility and allows us to seek talent on a national scale, it also means that teams may not be located near one another, which has had a notable impact on the way associates organize to volunteer. Associates are still able to virtually organize and participate in several company-wide fundraising and volunteer events each year. We will continue to expand volunteering opportunities and are proud to see our associates show up and make lasting impacts in our broader communities.
Company-wide volunteerism events through our Helping Hands program include delivering meals to those in need, setting up food drives for people and pets, championing fundraising walks and runs, and organizing park and other trash cleanups.
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Our UNFI Foundation and food access programs are two of the many ways we increase our community support in regions across North America.
UNFI Foundation Strategic Plan
This year, the UNFI Foundation embarked on a strategic planning process to clarify our mission and expand our outreach to more profoundly impact the communities we aim to serve. We solidified a UNFI Foundation Strategic Plan, which centers a collaborative philanthropy model, outlines our main funding priorities, and reveals our strategic direction for the next five years. Once in action, this plan will strengthen our ability to leverage our expertise to work toward a food system that is truly better for all.
Food Equity Project Grant
In 2022, the UNFI Foundation launched the Food Equity Grant - our largest ever grant to date. In 2023, we focused exclusively on projects supporting equitable food business development, and expanded the scope beyond Rhode Island. The 2023 recipients of the Food Equity Project Grant include The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and the Nourish and Bloom Foundation.
Associate-Giving Campaigns
This year, we carried out one of our most successful cause-specific, associate-giving campaigns to date through the Associate Action Hub. We raised over $12,000 for the National Black Farmers Association during Black History Month, through which UNFI matched $6,000 raised by associates.
New Volunteer Champions
We engaged with our Human Resources and Communications teams to increase awareness of these opportunities, offered incentives for taking action, and even worked with our senior leadership team to help identify volunteer champions to drive the campaign forward.
CUB Community Markets
We’re honored to have received the 2021 Community Uplift Award from the Food Industry Association for the CUB Foods Northside Community Center and youth development program in North Minneapolis, which served the local community as a nonprofit under the CUB Foundation with temporary food market and shuttle services in North Minneapolis neighborhoods.
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Friends of UNFI Food Bank
After a successful pilot of our Friends of UNFI Food Bank program with PCC Community Markets, through which we offer non-profit partners access to products at discounted rates, we worked with Feeding America to launch additional pilots in Minnesota and Illinois.