The Salvation Army's Partnership with Hardings Expands
Building off a successful partnership last Christmas season that saw over $9,000 raised for The Salvation Army at two Harding’s Markets locations, the organization and grocery store are expanding their relationship this year to reach six stores in southwest Michigan.
Six Harding’s stores in Bangor, Kalamazoo, Parchment, Plainwell and Wayland have their checkout lane conveyer belts equipped with Salvation Army QR-coded red kettles imprinted on patented covers called MessageWrap®. Scanning the QR code with a smartphone and making a simple donation is just one of the four ways Harding’s is offering to donate, which also includes rounding up a purchase to the nearest dollar at the register, donating online at salarmy.us/kzoogrocery, and giving to a red kettle stationed outside stores.
MessageWrap® was invented and created by Handstand Innovations LLC in collaboration with Mol Belting Systems, one of the nation’s leading conveyer belt manufacturers. Both companies are based in Grand Rapids.
“We were thrilled with how the generous community members who shop at Harding’s responded to last year’s trial run and we are excited to not only continue our relationship this year with Harding’s, Mol Belting and Handstand Innovations, but grow it,” said Major Glen Caddy, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army of Western Michigan and Northern Indiana. “This innovative way of encouraging donations at checkout lanes is helping The Salvation Army continue to fulfill its promise of Doing The Most Good.”
All of the funds donated will stay locally within the same zip code as the location of Harding’s and support The Salvation Army in the services it provides at Christmas and year-round, which includes those that address food insecurity. Based on the store locations, three Salvation Army locations will be the beneficiary of funds raised – Benton Harbor, Holland and Kalamazoo.
In 2020, the revolutionary way of giving to The Salvation Army via a checkout lane QR code was offered for the first time at two Harding’s locations in Wayland and Kalamazoo. Between QR codes and round up at the register, a combined $9,225.44 was raised between the two stores and opened a new way of giving as The Salvation Army continues to offer safe and contactless donation options.
This year, many southwest Michigan communities are still facing elevated levels of need due to impacts of the pandemic, and The Salvation Army remains on the frontlines to ensure Hope Marches On this holiday season and beyond.
PARTICIPATING HARDING’S LOCATIONS:
Bangor – 14 West Monroe St
Kalamazoo – 2626 East Main
Kalamazoo – 5161 West Main
Parchment – 618 North Riverview Dr
Plainwell – 533 Allegan St
Wayland – 300 Reno Dr
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army annually helps more than 30 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at over 7,000 centers of operation around the country. In 2021, The Salvation Army was ranked No. 2 on the list of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.
About Mol Belting Systems, Inc.
Mol Belting Systems, Inc. has had a major presence in the North American conveyance industry for decades providing conveyor belting and power transmission products for the food processing, logistics, treadmill and grocery store sectors. Because of its dominance in the grocery store sector and its support of The Salvation Army, it has partnered with The Salvation Army and Handstand Innovations, LLC to develop and test the viability of a Red Kettle Campaign utilizing Message Wrap® which is a cover applied over Mol Belting Systems’ checkout belt designed to prompt customers to donate to the Red Kettle Campaign via Round-up at the Register, QR code in store, Online or a Red Kettle.
About Harding’s Markets
Harding’s currently has 28 Harding’s Market, Marketplace and Fresh Express stores located throughout SW Michigan and Northern Indiana. We strive to create an inviting shopping experience for our customers, offering personalized service, including store to car carryout service. We offer our employees a great working environment with opportunity for growth. We take pride in being a part of the communities in which we reside. Our Vision is to be known as the favorite neighborhood market in every community where we do business, providing friendly service; high quality, fresh products; surprising values; and a commitment to the communities we serve.