SCHNUCKS NOURISHES ST. LOUIS REGION WITH HOLIDAY DONATIONS
The relationship of The Salvation Army Midland Division and Schnucks, one of America’s largest grocery store chains and based in St. Louis, goes back decades.
Schnucks announced in January it had donated $245,000 as part of its 2021 Round Up at the Register campaign, in which the grocery chain’s cashiers offer the option to round up the difference to the next dollar with the remainder going to The Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights campaign.
Schnucks added $21,000 to that sum for a grand total of $266,000, in addition to a separate large donation that designated the 83-year-old company as one of the Tree of Lights Hope Bell Presenting Sponsors.
The booming $266,000 total comes from the receipts of just one year of many of Round Up at the Register, which has raised more than a quarter-million dollars several times to benefit The Salvation Army’s important services around the holidays.
Tree of Lights chairs from previous years include Scott Schnuck and Ed Schnuck. Some family members, such as Todd Schnucks, have bell-rung for donations for The Salvation Army.
“Schnucks’ purpose is nourishing people’s lives,” Bill Bradley, Schnuck Markets Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, said. “The Salvation Army’s mission is very much aligned with that. We are proud to partner with The Salvation Army each and every year around the holidays.”
Those bellringers are The Salvation Army’s signature red kettle keepers outside grocery stores around Christmas, a sound synonymous with the holidays. Schnucks’ generous customers are greeted with two options to donate every time they go to the store for more than a month, both inside and outside.
“The holidays are really a great time for Schnucks to shine,” Bradley said. “It just wouldn’t be the holidays at Schnucks without The Salvation Army. Our customers tell us they really enjoy seeing the red kettles and the bellringers in front of our stores, and, of course, our generous customers have been so great at participating in the Round Up at the Register program these last few years.”
Schnucks managers, executives and staff have also volunteered at Salvation Army initiatives, most recently as helpers in the Angel Tree program, which distributed 4,000 toys to kids in need last December.
Both Schnucks and The Salvation Army have grown stronger over the years, as both have inveterate presences in the Midwestern region.
Schnucks is a grocery store chain with more than 100 locations over four states, after starting as a single store location in north St. Louis. Its annual revenue was more than $3 billion in 2019.
“Schnucks and The Salvation Army, great partnership, a lot of years, and of course brought together by our very generous customers that I want to give a shout out to and say thank you to,” Bradley said.
To boot, what would the holidays be without a Christmas story everyone has from childhood celebrating the special day.
For Bradley, that means building on his own family tradition.
"I have very fond memories of gathering around the Christmas tree with my siblings waiting on our parents to give us the ok to tear into those Christmas gifts," Bradley said. "Now, I am the father of four daughters. I've tried to create that feeling of Christmas morning. The only difference is now we have matching family Christmas pajamas every year."