$273,909
821,727
8,217,270
271
2024 Summary
Throughout 2024, the King Soopers and City Market Fight Hunger bag program averaged:
6.3 bags sold per day per store
Donated a total of $273,909 to 271 local hunger relief organizations.
2024 BREAKDOWN
Pilot Period
The Fight Hunger bag pilot program launched with a generic reusable bag in December 2023 in 34 stores In January, an additional store joined the pilot program, bringing the total of participating stores to 35. During this pilot period, stores sold an average of 7.0 bags per day.
Program Launch
After a successful pilot period, the Fight Hunger bag program officially launched in 152 participating King Soopers and City Market locations on April 1st, 2024. During the program’s first two months, the average number of bags sold per day per store reached 7.9. High sales led to an inventory shortage in June and July, prompting PS It Matters and the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team to implement a temporary pause on the program in order to replenish stock.
Program Relaunch
The program relaunched with a dedicated red Fight Hunger bag on August 1st, 2024, and sold an average of 7.4 bags per day per store for the month. In September and October, several stores experienced difficulty ordering the Fight Hunger bags due to warehouse dislocation. Inventory was then transferred to a corporate warehouse to ensure consistent availability at the store level. Once these issues were resolved, the year wrapped up with an average of 6.6 bags sold per day per store in November and an increase to 6.8 in December.
2024 Monthly Review
JANUARY
Pilot: 35 Stores
Total Bags Sold: 8,947
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 8.2
January marked the second month of the Fight Hunger bag program pilot period One store was added to the program, bringing the total of participating stores to 35. PS It Matters continuously monitored sales and provided ongoing support to store managers and benefiting organizations
FEBRUARY
Total Bags Sold: 9,935
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 9.8
Sales remained steady, with program donations totaling $9,935 and a monthly average of 9 8 bags sold per day per store The PS It Matters Team continued to research hunger relief organizations within the King Soopers and City Market footprint to expand the breadth of organizations available for selection
MARCH
APRIL
Launched: 152 Stores
Total Bags Sold: 13,406
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 5.5
In collaboration with the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team, PS It Matters prepared additional stores for the launch of the Fight Hunger bag program by connecting with store leadership, providing bag racks, and sending pertinent information. Several stores sold bags ahead of the April 1st launch date, leading to higher monthly sales than previously recorded in the pilot
Total Bags Sold: 36,049
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 7.9
On April 1st, the program officially launched in 152 stores with a generic bag, generating $36,049 in donations and a monthly average of 7 9 bags sold per day per store Sales began declining toward the end of the month due to inventory shortages. PS It Matters created a plan to pause the program while replenishing inventory with a dedicated Fight Hunger bag
MAY
JUNE
*Bags Out of Stock*
Total Bags Sold: 36,762
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 7.8
Donations for May totaled $36,762, with an estimated remaining inventory of 35,000 to 40,000 bags. In preparation for the official relaunch in August, stores were instructed to sell through existing stock
Total Bags Sold: 16,533
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 3.6
As stores began to run out of stock, PS IT Matters and the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team instated the temporary pause on the program.
2024 Monthly Review
JULY
*Bags Out of Stock*
AUGUST
Program Re-Launch
Total Bags Sold: 4,394
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 0.9
While most stores were completely out of stock and others sold through any remaining inventory of the generic bag, sales dropped to their lowest point To prepare for the program relaunch, PS It Matters and the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team provided step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial to teach store leaders how to select beneficiaries and print rack card signage through the Store Management Portal
Total Bags Sold: 35,007
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 7.4
On August 1st, the program relaunched in 152 stores with a dedicated red Fight Hunger bag This was the first month that store champions engaged with the Store Management Portal and selected organizations to benefit at their stores The length of selection periods changed from one month to two months.
SEPTEMBER
Total Bags Sold: 26,358
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 5.8
Inventory dislocation caused some stores to experience difficulty ordering bags, resulting in stock shortages.
OCTOBER
Total Bags Sold: 23,965
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 5.1
Fight Hunger bag inventory moved to a corporate warehouse to ensure consistent and smooth ordering at the store level
NOVEMBER
Total Bags Sold: 30,253
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 6.6
During October and November, benefiting organizations were selected by the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team for a special holiday hunger relief campaign
DECEMBER
Total Bags Sold: 32,300
Average Bags Sold Per Store Per Day: 6.8
On December 4th, the program surpassed a significant milestone by donating a total of $250,000 to hunger relief organizations since the program’s inception
Year in Review
Fight Hunger bags sold by month
2024 Total Bags Sold: 273,909
POTENTIAL IMPACT
For the first three months of the year, there were 35 stores actively participating in the Fight Hunger bag program. When the program launched in April, the number of active stores expanded to 152 If all 152 stores had been active and consistently selling Fight Hunger bags all year, the program would have facilitated an estimated total of $349,524 in donations during 2024.
Program
Top 10 Stores Sales by District
HungerReliefOrganizationVoices
Wecan’tthankyouenoughforall thecontinuedsupportwerecieve.
“We Don’t Waste is always excited to work with the incredible support King Soopers and Fight Hunger bag program provided We can’t thank you enough for all of the continued support we receive If we can provide any support to your philanthropic campaigns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us ”
Thefundswillsupportourmission& helpusmeettheincreasedneedin ourcommunities.
“With times like these, our mobile pantries are serving more individuals than we were last year Getting these funds is critical because we are now spending three times as much every month on food compared to before the pandemic The funds will support our mission and help us meet the increased need in our communities Every $1 donation helps provide enough food for three meals ”
Thedifferentwayswehavecontinued tobuildthispartnershipandreceived supportmeansomuchtous.
“We’re so grateful for this partnership and for City Market selecting us We have been able to put the word out on social media and newsletters, and we know that has gotten support from our local community members The different ways we have continued to build this partnership and received support mean so much to us We appreciate all that City Market does to support Manna and other organizations that do similar work both in Colorado and nationwide
Earned Media
When a hunger relief organization is selected to benefit from the Fight Hunger bag program, the PS It Matters Team emphasizes the importance of spreading the good news Through a series of emails sent before and during their selection period, beneficiaries are given all the marketing tools they will need to promote the program, including email templates, social media posts, and flyers
Each mention of King Soopers and City Market in print and online generates earned media for the brand By promoting their selection, hunger relief organizations are spreading information about King Soopers and City Market and strengthening its reputation as a community-oriented store. Above are just a few examples of benefiting organizations generating earned media by promoting the program to their support networks.
PS It Matters: What We Did 2024
Hunger Relief Organization Research & Vetting
Our Program Management Team ensures that every hunger organization eligible for selection in the Fight Hunger bag program is active in the community, engaged with the program, and aligned with King Soopers’ & City Market’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste goals By consistently adding new hunger relief organizations to the program, we empower stores to connect with untapped audiences, boost brand visibility, and maximize earned media
Maintain a proprietary database of hunger relief organizations within a 15-mile radius of each participating store based on criteria approved by King Soopers and City Market. Conduct ongoing research of local organizations to ensure the database reflects the breadth of hunger relief organizations servicing King Soopers & City Market communities. Validate that benefiting organizations continue to match program criteria and remain engaged with the program, guaranteeing a high level of participation. Process daily hunger relief organization submission requests from the public, store leaders, and local organizations.
Marketing Communication
Through our proven communication methodology, the Marketing Communications Team equips selected hunger relief organizations with promotional tools, marketing advice, and outreach reminders. By making it as easy as possible for benefiting organizations to advertise their selection period, PS It Matters ensures they consistently drive new and existing shoppers into King Soopers and City Market stores to purchase Fight Hunger bags.
Guide each selected organization through crafting an outreach plan that maximizes reusable bag sales using our email communication series.
Design a variety of outreach tools for organizations to use to promote the program, including flyers, promotional videos, social media posts, email templates, and instructional videos.
Create and manage the Fight Hunger bag program website, which acts as a resource hub for benefiting organizations and presents real-time data highlighting the program’s community impact
Collaborate with the Program Management Team to respond to all program inquiries promptly and provide comprehensive support to organizations throughout their benefiting period
PS It Matters: What We Did 2024
Data Reporting
To demonstrate the value of the Fight Hunger bag program, PS It Matters delivers insightful, actionable data on program and store-level performance through frequent reporting and data analysis Designed to illustrate the success of the program and continuously track performance, our data reporting strategy focuses on real-time insights, key performance metrics, and trend identification
Present real-time sales, donation totals, and store rankings on the Store Management Portal to increase store-level engagement.
Provide detailed reports focusing on program impact, top-performing stores, and sales data on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
Curate an annual book and comprehensive report showcasing both the qualitative and quantitative impact of the Fight Hunger bag program on King Soopers and City Market communities.
Illustrate the value of this program to benefiting organizations, store employees, and the public by displaying key performance metrics and community impact data on the Fight Hunger bag program website
Open Banner Communication
PS It Matters directly oversees program execution across all store locations in order to minimize the effort required from store managers and the King Soopers and City Market Leadership Team. Through streamlined communication and our proprietary Store Management Portal, our team supports store managers in achieving key goals and optimizes store-level execution of the Fight Hunger bag program.
Empower store managers to accomplish informed selections of benefiting organizations in a matter of minutes through the Store Management Portal. Present actionable insights and promote best practices to encourage store managers to implement revenue-impacting tactics and drive results
Monitor sales, stock levels, and program milestones to ensure consistent execution across all stores and preemptively alert store managers to any issues
PS It Matters: What We Did 2024
Hunger Relief Organization Engagement
To ensure organizations feel supported and valued when partnering with King Soopers and City Market, a core element of the Fight Hunger bag program is building and maintaining strong relationships with benefiting organizations The Hunger Relief Organization Engagement Team conducts one-on-one meetings with organization leaders, distributes surveys, and monitors Google Analytics trends to gather information on hunger relief organization outreach practices and program preferences
Publish impact stories to increase cause awareness for featured organizations and showcase the hyperlocal impact of the Fight Hunger bag program.
Execute one-on-one meetings with benefiting organizations to gain insight into marketing habits and overall program satisfaction, utilizing the collected information to continuously refine program strategies and collateral materials.
Facilitate an advisory committee of benefiting organizations to collect feedback on new promotional materials and updates to our communication strategy prior to implementation.
Explore ways to consistently improve program engagement by distributing surveys to all benefiting organizations at the end of each selection period.
Impact Story
The Life Center Food Pantry
As an extension of the True Life Community Church, the Life Center Food Pantry has served the Colorado Springs community for over 20 years. When the food pantry first opened its doors in 2001, it served around 200 people each month. Today, more than 2,500 people a month rely on the Life Center for food assistance.
As part of its mission to serve individuals with dignity and respect, the Life Center embraces a client choice model. Individuals and families are able to come to the pantry once a week and decide for themselves which items they would like to take with them In addition to the food pantry, the Life Center hosts a variety of events for its community, including chili cookoffs, birthday parties, and baby showers
With the $2,113 donation from the King Soopers Fight Hunger bag program, the Life Center Food Pantry plans to purchase food items that are often harder for the pantry to obtain. As the organization strives to extend its reach, it will also use this and any future Fight Hunger bag program donations to increase its storage capabilities by purchasing additional shelves, tables, refrigerators, and freezers. As the Life Center grows, it hopes to begin offering life skills classes and continue engaging the community in its work.
“When we were chosen for this program, I was shocked. It was incredible that King Soopers would step up and recognize our pantry. We are so grateful that they wanted to partner with us. It is always good to see a big company reach out to support smaller agencies and food pantries like ours. I was very happy to work with King Soopers, and it was amazing that they extended that privilege to us.”
