Giant Awards $85,000 for Sustainable Dairy Practices in Chesapeake Bay

Giant Food today awarded more than $85,000 to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (Alliance) to implement sustainability practices on local Maola^® dairy farms in the Chesapeake Bay. The donation occurred as part of a grand re-opening event at the Giant Food store in Parkville, Maryland with funds collected during a recent round-up campaign in Giant Food’s more than 150 stores. Since 2022, Giant Food has donated more than $430,000 to the Alliance through round-up campaigns to support a more sustainable dairy supply chain.

“As a community grocery retailer, it is our responsibility to invest in sustainable practices that not only benefit the food that we sell in our stores but overall support the region in which we serve.” said Felis Andrade, External Communications and Community Relations Director at Giant Food. “I am grateful for our partnership with both the Alliance and Moala Local Dairies over the past couple of years to make the DMV a more sustainable region.”

Under the banner of the Giant Clean Water Partnership (GCWP), Giant Food, the Alliance, and Maola Local Dairies^®, Giant Food’s local dairy supplier, support local dairy farmers throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed with resources and incentives to meet environmental standards that support clean water and long-term financial success.

“Local farmers provide the foundation for fresh and nutritious food across our Chesapeake communities. Our partners at Giant Food and Maola Local Dairies equip the Alliance with funding and connections, allowing us to deliver valuable water quality benefits across the dairy supply chain,” said Kate Fritz, CEO at the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. “Everyone in the Chesapeake Bay watershed wins when we work together, and we’re so grateful to Giant Food and Maola for their partnership.”

The GCWP started in 2020 and has raised nearly $1.5M for dairy farm sustainability practices through Giant Food’s reusable bag sales and round up campaigns, as well as other grant sources awarded to the Alliance. Maola’s corporate sustainability partnerships, including the GCWP, have collectively raised more than $100M for the local dairy farm families who make up Maola Local Dairies – 91% of which are within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

“As the local dairy supplier for Giant Food, Maola Local Dairies is grateful for the contributions of Giant Food customers through the recent round-up campaign,“ said Lindsay Reames, Executive Vice President of Growth & Brand at Maola. “By working together, we can support our dairy farm families with meaningful conservation practices that improve soil and water quality. When consumers, retailers, and farmers work together we can all build a stronger, more sustainable Chesapeake Bay.”

Since opening its first location in Washington, D.C., in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality. Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 163 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 163 stores are 153 full-service pharmacies and 28 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the way today’s busy customers want to shop – in-store or online. With 161 Giant Pickup locations and delivery options available in all its markets, customers have even more convenient options to get the best products and prices whenever and however they choose. For more information on Giant Food, visit giantfood.com.

Since 1971, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay has served as the ‘backbone’ for action-oriented impact and collaboration across our watershed. With four strategically placed offices and four focused programs, we’re positioned to solve downstream problems with upstream solutions. Through boots-on-the-ground solutions, technical assistance, and expertise, we prevent pollution where it begins – on the land – before it reaches our rivers and the Chesapeake. By collaborating with like-minded individuals and organizations, the Alliance becomes a catalyst, building the capacity of others to join and accelerate clean water in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Maola Local Dairies^® is a farmer-owned cooperative committed to its local farm families and to producing high-quality, nutritious dairy products. Founded in 1920, Maola processes and delivers your favorite milk, cream, and dairy products to families, schools, and communities while investing in quality, innovation, and sustainability across its farms and supply chain. Learn more at www.maolamilk.com.