FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:     Sgt. William Bell, william.bell@cincinnati-oh.gov or 513-515 6263

                  Ms. Tiffaney Hardy, tiffaney.hardy@cincinnati-oh.gov or 513-352-3519

‘GET THE GROCERIES’ PROGRAM FOR AREA CHILDREN HITS 11TH YEAR

Interviews available at 10 a.m. at the Kroger Oakley Marketplace

Cincinnati, OH – On December 20, 2018, the Cincinnati Police Department in conjunction with the Cincinnati Police Activities League and Kroger will host the 11th Annual ‘Get the Groceries’ Program for deserving kids and their families at the Kroger Oakley Marketplace (4613 Marburg Avenue).  

The Cincinnati Police Activities League was formed to provide Cincinnati Police Officers with the opportunity to mentor young people through character building activities.  The goal of CPAL is to build long-lasting relationships between Cincinnati Police Officers and youth. 

Participants first hear a nutrition, wellness, and drug education followed by a day of shopping with officers and other community volunteers during three sessions (9:30 am, 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm) at the Kroger Oakley Marketplace. The featured speaker will be Ms. Dayana Muñoz, a Withrow graduate of Class of 2017 and sophomore nursing student at Kentucky State who will share her inspiring story. 

The program assists participants with obtaining healthy foods while strengthening relationships among Cincinnati Police Officers, families, and school age youth. In 2017, 102 youth participated representing 55 schools and organizations. Since the program’s inception, more than 550 youth have participated from the Cincinnati area.

The Cincinnati Police Officers, Kroger employees, community volunteers and youth participants partner up and shop for groceries with a budget of $100.00 per child. The Cincinnati Police Officers help the children stay on budget, use coupons, and find the best value in food. In addition at the time of checkout, Kroger provides each participant a tote bag filled with personal care items to take home with them.

“We are excited to once again have our officers reach out to the community by spending the day with our young people in a fun, interactive way,” said Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac.  “Programs like this provide a unique opportunity for our officers to get to know our area youth and vice versa. We are proud to be a part of this program with Kroger and other partners as it furthers our commitment to the community.”  

“Get the Groceries is a great partnership between Kroger and the Cincinnati Police Department,” said Erin Rolfes, Corporate Affairs Manager - Cincinnati/Dayton Division. “We are proud to help our neighbors have a brighter holiday season.”

Many of CPAL’s youth participants are from lower income households, have limited access to groceries stores, and do not purchase nor consume fruits and vegetables on a regular basis during the holidays.   In 2008, CPAL proposed the “Get the Groceries” program to General Mills and received funding to begin the program. 

How “Get the Groceries” works:

Cincinnati Police Officers through use of their citizen contacts (schools, recreation centers, churches, and community groups) identify young people (and their families) who would receive the most benefit from the activity.  Once the young people are identified, they attend a nutrition, wellness, and drug prevention presentation” and have fun shopping with Cincinnati Police officers through a local Kroger grocery store.  

This shared experience offers Cincinnati Police Officers and school age youth the opportunity to learn about one another though grocery shopping.  The youth participants (and their families) gain a different perspective of Cincinnati Police Officers through the experience.  Cincinnati Police Officers learn certain aspects of the youth culture and discover the commonalities of their lives. Youth participants gain access to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods after attending a “Drug Prevention Presentation”.  The program is a win-win for all involved.

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Alert sent on 12/19/2018 at 2:58PM EST

4613 Marburg Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45209

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