IGA leverages exclusive brands to raise funds for Wounded Warrior Project

The Chicago-based Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) announced a donation of more than $265,000 to Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) as a result of its second annual IGA exclusive brand national marketing initiative that ran in participating IGA stores from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

IGA said it donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of IGA exclusive brand water, hotdog and hamburger buns featuring specially marked WWP packaging, resulting in more than $171,000 of the donation. Kraft contributed in IGA’s name an additional $50,000 in exchange for the positioning of beverage mix displays featuring Crystal Light, Kool-Aid, Country Time and MiO liquid water enhancers in IGA stores during the promotional period.

IGA retailers’ own fundraising efforts and the IGA WWP Golf Tournament held this past summer made for the remaining amount of nearly $45,000, the alliance said. The total donation represents an increase of more than $145,000 dollars from the $120,000 donation made in 2011.

IGA said its retailers promoted the WWP initiative in their stores in a number of ways, including innovative in-store displays, matching donations and community events honoring Wounded Warriors.

“We were overwhelmed with the support our independent IGA retailers gave this Wounded Warrior Project event,” said Dave Bennett, IGA senior vice president of Procurement & Exclusive Brands. “All across the country we saw IGA retailers participating by not only selling IGA exclusive brand water and Kraft beverage mixes, but also by using community events to get the word out about the important mission of Wounded Warrior Project.

According to WWP, more than 50,000 servicemen and servicewomen have been injured in recent military conflicts. In addition to the physical wounds, it is estimated that as many as 400,000 service members live with invisible wounds of war such as combat-related stress, major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Another 320,000 are believed to have experienced a traumatic brain injury while on deployment. Tens of thousands of Wounded Warriors and caregivers receive support each year through WWP’s 18 diverse programs and services that are uniquely structured to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement.