Owner of looted ShopRite stores donates perishable food to neighbors
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two of the stores hit hardest this week by looters were the ShopRite supermarkets located in Parkside and Hunting Park. Both stores were forced to close and turn away all customers.
On Wednesday, the Share Food Program partnered with Jeff Brown, the owner of the two supermarkets, to distribute food to neighbors in need.
The food was handed out throughout the day at two locations: the Parkside Association on North 52nd Street and the Allegheny West Foundation on West Hunting Park.
Residents picked up fresh milk, meat, butter, cream, vegetables and fruit.
Without the ShopRites, the people in these neighborhoods have nowhere to go to get fresh food so the giveaway was a welcome relief.
"It's helpful because the market's closed and everything is closed," said Teresa Manning, of Parkside, who had come to pick up food.
"We don't have a ShopRite now and with all of this stuff that's been going on, the looting, we have people that really need food. And they're used to having the ShopRite in the community," said Diane Marshall, a volunteer with the Parkside Association.
"So now we have to come to places like this and get free things that we can't get at ShopRite anymore or we have to go out of the county. So people that don't have transportation, how do they get food now," said Darya Golett.
Brown said the food would have been discarded if not for this partnership with the neighborhood organizations. The giveaway will continue Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., or until food runs out.
