Pictured receiving the gift card from Kristine Sharp (middle) are MNC Director Elaine Eggleston (right) and MNC Christmas program coordinator Jill Butler, far left

 MASSENA -- Massena Hannaford Supermarket helped fight hunger recently through its in-store Helping Hands program.

Boxes pre-packed with food items were available for customers to purchase for $10 per box. The boxes were donated to the Massena Neighborhood Center’s Christmas program or other charity of choice. In-store coupons were offered with each box purchased.

Additionally, Assistant Manager-Customer Service Kristine Sharp organized an employee drive and arranged for the placement of a kiosk for spare change, bottle return slips, etc., to be placed at the front of the store for the convenience of their customers. These independent efforts resulted in the purchase of 41 Helping Hands boxes for a grand total of 650 donated to the Neighborhood Center.

As an incentive, Hannaford Supermarkets also awarded a $500 gift card to the store selling the most boxes in each district, to be donated to their charity.

“We won for our district! The response from the community, our customers and our employees was overwhelming and so instrumental in helping us not only meet but greatly exceed our goal,” said Kristine.