Check Out Hunger 2009

This weekend was the kickoff of another holiday project at the Foodbank: the Check Out Hunger Campaign! If you're not already familiar with it, the campaign is an effort to raise money for the Shared Harvest via donations made at the checkout lines in area Kroger stores.

For the past four years, Shared Harvest has partnered with 17 Kroger stores in Butler, Preble, and Warren Counties. In each store, we put up placards with coupons in $1, $3, and $5 increments at every cash register. While in the checkout line, customers can take a coupon off of the placard and have it scanned with the rest of their items. The amount on the coupon is added to the customer's total, and when the campaign is over, Kroger writes one big check from all of these little donations to the foodbank.

Part of my VISTA Assignment Description is to monitor this campaign through the end of the year. This weekend I put up about 85 placards at cash registers in 9 stores, and I will visit the remaining 8 stores this week when we get more placards in. Additionally, I am to check in on each store once a week to replace any coupons that have run out over the course of the week. But just in case the coupons run out before I get there to replace them, I made a laminated "master" copy for the cashiers to scan for customers still wanting to donate. I distributed about 6 of these copies in each store with the placards.

Here I am at my first (and easiest) stop--our Kroger in Fairfield!


I put in about 7 hours on Saturday traveling throughout the region to get to these Kroger stores. My time was split 50/50 between driving to each location and waiting for customers to clear out of the checkout lines so I could post my placards.

After my first run, two things are certain:
1) This project is making me much more assertive (read: mildly aggressive). I don't have time to wait for customers to clear out to check the coupons every single time I go out. So if you live in Butler, Warren, or Preble County and you see me coming with my clipboard full of coupons, please, move out of my way. Thank you.
2) I would have never made it without Alex's GPS, Rita, and Taylor's assistance, as well, which is why Taylor and I decided to use one of my expense reimbursements to purchase our very own GPS today. I haven't tested her/him out yet, but when I do I'll tell you her/his name.

Note to future VISTAs: if you will be doing a lot of traveling with your position, invest in a GPS early in your term. It is the best investment you will ever make, I promise.