DOWAGIAC — Over the course of two weeks between October and November, Dowagiac customers were able to choose to give to a local food pantry with every scan of a grocery item at Family Fare. At the end of the campaign, the grocery store was left with more than $1,200 to donate to a local food pantry.

As a result of the ACTION Ministries Food Pantry partnership with the SpartanNash Foundation and the Dowagiac Family Fare, 56151 M-51 S., the food pantry received a $1,250 grant from the retail grocery store on Wednesday to help end hunger in the local community.

Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 4, the SpartanNash Foundation, which is the parent company of Family Fare, hosted a companywide retail scan campaign in each of SpartanNash’s corporate-owned stores in eight states. Customers who visited the stores during the 12-day retail scan campaign had the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10, with 100 percent of dollars raised going to support community food pantries in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

In total, the SpartanNash Foundation’s scan campaign to provide hunger relief raised $278,105 to support more than 100 local food pantries and food banks, including the ACTION Ministries Food Pantry. Each store involved in the campaign personally selected the partner food pantry the campaign would support, ensuring the scan to end hunger would have a significant local impact, according to SpartanNash representatives.

This is the third year the Dowagiac Family Fare has chosen to donate to ACTION Ministries’ food pantry through the campaign. 

Representatives with the Dowagiac Family Fare said they were happy to give back to the local community through ACTION Ministries.

“[We participated] just so that we can give back,” said Donovan Strock, store director of the Dowagiac Family Fare location. “When we can build that relationship with the community, it’s great for everyone involved. Everyone shops here. Everyone is local here, and all [the funds] go right back into the community. It’s just good business. I feel like we can always do more, and I would love to do more.”

ACTION Ministries President Jeff Neumann said he was grateful to have the support of the Dowagiac business community and said the funds raised by Family Fare will be able to help provide for many in need in the area.

“Family Fare has been a great partner and this is just another notch on their belt for helping us out,” Neumann said. “We are very enthusiastically happy. Especially for what we are doing, giving away food. It’s just great for a grocery store to be involved in that. We are very glad for the partnership.”