Hy-Vee Gives Away 144,000 Peaches During a Contactless, Drive-Thru Event at Mall of America and Through Donations to Two Local Organizations

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (June 27, 2020) — On Friday, Hy-Vee distributed about 72,000 free peaches during a contactless, drive-thru giveaway event at Mall of America. The other 72,000 peaches were donated to Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf and The Sheridan Story – two local organizations focused on fighting hunger throughout the Twin Cities.

The giveaway was made possible thanks to Hy-Vee’s fruit supplier SunWest Fruit Company, who donated the peaches in light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

During the event, peaches were loaded directly into customer vehicles by more than 50 Hy-Vee employees and volunteers from Second Harvest Heartland, the largest food bank in Minnesota. All event staff practiced safe social distancing and minimized physical contact to keep everyone safe.

“The number of Minnesotans experiencing hunger has been growing rapidly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic” said Allison O’Toole, CEO for Second Harvest Heartland. “Fresh nutritious produce is high in demand and we are so thankful to Hy-Vee for providing fresh peaches to help families thrive.”

“We greatly appreciate SunWest Fruit Company partnering with us to better serve our customers and surrounding communities during this difficult time,” said Tina Potthoff, Hy-Vee’s senior vice president of communications. “We are grateful for our relationships with Mall of America and Second Harvest Heartland, as they were instrumental in helping make this event possible for the Twin Cities community.”

This contribution is part of a series of donations that Hy-Vee and its suppliers are making to local communities and food banks across Hy-Vee’s eight-state region during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Link to photos and video: https://hy-vee.sharefile.com/d-s1c6a2e7b1524e078

• "Twin Cities Hy-Vee Peach Giveaway Event" – On Friday, the Twin Cities Hy-Vee stores hosted a contactless, drive-thru peach giveaway at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. In total, 144,000 peaches, 36,000 pounds, were donated to customers and two local hunger relief organizations in partnership with SunWest Fruit Company.

• "Twin Cities Hy-Vee Peach Handout" - Thousands of customers received 20 fresh peaches on Friday during a contactless, drive-thru at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, courtesy of Hy-Vee and SunWest Fruit Company.

• "Twin Cities Hy-Vee Team" - More than 50 Hy-Vee #HelpfulSmileStrong and Second Harvest Heartland volunteers distributed 20 fresh peaches to thousands of customers on Friday during a contactless, drive-thru giveaway. Donation made in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, courtesy of SunWest Fruit Company.

• "Twin Cities Hy-Vee Peach Giveaway Pre-event" – On Friday, Hy-Vee customers lined up nearly 90 minutes early at Mall of America to receive one bag of fresh peaches, courtesy of SunWest Fruit Company. During the event and along with donations to two hunger relief organizations, approximately 36,000 pounds of fresh produce was donated.

• "Twin Cities Hy-Vee Peach Drive-Thru" - During Hy-Vee's contactless, drive-thru peach giveaway on Friday at Mall of America, customers received fresh produce in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, courtesy of SunWest Fruit Company.

• "VIDEO_Twin Cities Hy-Vee Peach Giveaway" – On Friday, Twin Cities Hy-Vee store employees and Second Harvest Heartland volunteers distributed fresh peaches to metro residents in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Donation courtesy of SunWest Fruit Company.

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $10 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 85,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit http://www.hy-vee.com.

About SunWest Fruit Company

SunWest Fruit Company is a grower, packing and shipper of California citrus (oranges and mandarins) and stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, and pluots). In 1940, a German immigrant by the name of Albert Britz came to the United States where he and his wife Helen founded one of the most successful farming operations in California. SunWest Fruit Company, now run by their three children, David, Linda, and Martin, have continued their parent’s vision and now farm citrus, stone fruit, melons, onions, wheat, cotton, grapes and tomatoes in California. Through their vertical integration and meticulous detail to quality, they continue to strive to bring some of the best tasting fruit and vegetables in the United States. Learn more at sunwestfruit.com.