Hey mister, have you got a dime?
Paying a few extra cents on your grocery bill could add up to a big help for people in northeast Mississippi.
Food Giant grocery stores in Columbus, Amory and Aberdeen are participating in the “Round Up Program,” which offers customers the choice to round up the total of their grocery bill to the nearest dollar — or more — and donate the extra money to the Northeast Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross. Funds will be used to help disaster victims and others in need of assistance.
This will be the first time the Columbus Food Giant has participated in a Red Cross fundraiser, but the store is no stranger to charitable giving, said store co-manager Ben Wesley. During the holidays, they gave away 800 turkeys, and they plan to participate in “Project Feed Columbus” again this year.
It’s good for the community, and it makes good business sense, Wesley said.
“Any time we can help the community in any shape, form or fashion, we will, as long as we can,” he said Thursday afternoon.
As the economy has spiraled downward, he’s noticed a marked change in the types of groceries people buy. Whereas before they might have purchased a T-bone steak, now they’re buying sirloin or ground beef. They pay attention to sales.
And then there are the customers he will never forget. During the Christmas holidays, a young mother came into the store, purchased her groceries and had her purse stolen from her shopping cart as she was putting her groceries in the car.
She had three children, and she had just moved to Columbus from New Jersey.
The next time Wesley saw her in the store, he told her to pick out anything she wanted — he would pay the bill.
She continues to shop at the store, he said. Every time she comes in, she looks for him to say hello.
In honor of Red Cross Month, the Red Cross is conducting a number of fundraising campaigns across the nation. They are also encouraging people to become volunteers, take a class, or give blood.
Other local Red Cross events include “Singing to Give Back,” a concert at Columbus High School’s Rent Auditorium March 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
March was officially designated Red Cross Month by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943.
According to Red Cross statistics, the agency responded to nearly 70,000 disasters nationwide last year.
In north Mississippi last year, the Red Cross responded to more than 400 local emergencies, helped around 400 military families and trained more than 400 people in lifesaving skills.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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