small victories blog | Weekly Circular | Peapod | Product Recalls | Employment | Store Locator | Customer Service

News and Media

For Immediate Release

November 18, 2009

Jamie Miller
Giant Food LLC
(301) 341-8776
jmiller@giantofmaryland.com

 

ANACOSTIA WATERSHED SOCIETY AND GIANT FOOD FORGE PARTNERSHIP TO CLEAN UP ANACOSTIA RIVER

Landover, Md. (November 18, 2009) – The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) and Giant Food of Landover, Md. today announced a partnership to tackle environmental issues affecting the Anacostia River. The official launch and briefing will take place Friday, Dec. 4 at the Camp Simms Giant Food, located at 1535 Alabama Avenue, SE in Washington, D.C. Starting with the six grocery stores and one stand alone pharmacy Giant operates in the District of Columbia, the organizations are joining together to educate Giant Food associates and D.C. residents alike about the importance of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and what each of us can do to make a difference.

“The Anacostia Watershed Society is pleased to partner with Giant Food and their associates to promote awareness about the Anacostia River. The everyday actions we take on land have a direct impact on our river,” said James Foster, president of the Anacostia Watershed Society. “Giant is demonstrating their commitment to the community and the river that flows through it by partnering with us in working on solutions to trash and stormwater issues in the river.” As a first step in the partnership, earlier this month AWS hosted an introductory day on the Anacostia River for Giant associates, store managers, and members of the leadership team. As a result, Giant appointed a “Green Captain” at each of the stores it operates in the District to serve as an environmental steward, championing green initiatives among associates and customers, and provide in-store educational information about reusability and how we can help clean up our backyard.

As D.C. residents prepare for the January 1 implementation of the new bag tax, Giant Food is committed to helping educate associates and shoppers about the benefits of reducing, reusing, and recycling as a valuable service to the community. This Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, Giant will host community tables at the six Washington grocery stores to provide information about the watershed, why reusability matters, and what each of us can do to help. “Giant is honored to partner with the Anacostia Watershed Society, an environmental champion and leader that is working tirelessly to help clean up our treasured resources including the Anacostia River. Together, we will work to make a positive, visible, and lasting impact on our environment,” said Robin Michel, president of Giant Food of Landover, Md. “Giant is making it personal – it’s about preserving what’s in our own backyard. Every Giant Green Captain, store manager, and associate will have the opportunity to make a personal commitment to cleaning up our environment one day, one action at a time.”

“Each day, the Anacostia River watershed pushes an average of 38.8 million gallons of water from Maryland and Washington, D.C. into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay,” said James Connolly, executive director of the Anacostia Watershed Society. “This new partnership with Giant will enable AWS to reach deeper into the communities around each store to promote green initiatives such as trash cleanup, tree plantings, invasive plant removal, and working with our children to build a cleaner future. Together we can build a vibrant, clean, and healthy community and river.” Citizens and media alike are invited to attend the official launch of this new partnership at a briefing on Friday, December 4 at 1 p.m. at the Camp Simms Giant Food, located at 1535 Alabama Avenue, SE in Washington, D.C. Participants will include AWS President James Foster, AWS Executive Director James Connolly, President of Giant Food Robin Michel, Giant’s Vice President of Public Affairs and Community Relations Kim Brown, and several Giant Food Green Captains.

About Anacostia Watershed Society
The Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) is dedicated to cleaning the waters, recovering the shoreline, and honoring the heritage of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Since 1989, AWS has worked to conserve and protect the land and water of the Anacostia River and its watershed communities through educational programs, stewardship efforts, and advocacy projects. AWS works to make the Anacostia River and its tributaries swimmable and fishable as required by the Clean Water Act. For more information about AWS, visit www.AnacostiaWS.org.

About Giant Food of Landover, Md.
Giant Food LLC, headquartered in Landover, Md., operates 180 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and employs approximately 22,000 associates. Included within the 180 stores are 163 full-service pharmacies. Giant is owned by Netherlands-based Ahold. Giant Food works to ensure that all stores, distribution centers, offices, and transport initiatives are operating efficiently to reduce the environmental footprint. In 2007, Giant was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an ENERGY STAR leader for demonstrating superior energy performance across the organization. Additionally, Giant recycles several tons of cardboard, plastic, and paper each year. For more information on Giant, visit www.GiantFood.com.