Press Release | June 17th 2020
Supporting a Community Food Bank
Most people know that CNA Stores is a veteran-owned company that is committed to supporting community-based projects. It is both part of the culture of our company and who we are as individuals. We love the industry which we are a part of. Having the opportunity to serve our local communities is as important to us as providing quality product and great service in our stores.
Rob DiFazio, founder and CEO of CNA Stores, and his wife Joy had long been involved in volunteer projects such as Tammi’s Closet in Amesbury and the Pan-Mass Challenge. Rob wanted to build a culture of volunteerism and community support into the business plan from the beginning.
During a recent conversation with Dan Magoon at Mass Fallen Heroes, Dan talked about his organization’s fundraising efforts for the Dorchester Food Pantry. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic had increased the number of families in need and decreased funding sources. Rob knew that CNA could help.
We quickly learned that we were facing a bigger challenge than we had anticipated. The nationwide shutdowns were affecting the food distribution chains. Some supplies were scarce. We contacted a representative at Market Basket, a New England based, family-owned grocery chain, and found them to be receptive to our goal of providing a two-week supply of food for 70 families. After weeks of trying to source products through several vendors, we achieved our goal during this past week.
The challenges of getting everything that could feed these families was tough, but at the 11th hour, the Market Basket team came through with the supplies that we needed at a price that allowed us to provide even more food. We have spent a lot of time working with the folks at Market Basket and have discovered that their culture, like ours, believes in giving back to the community.
