Customers of 29 PS Food Mart stores across south central Michigan and northwest Ohio raised more than $50,000 for local charities in just two weeks in the PS Food Mart “Fight Hunger. Give Hope.” campaign.

From March 15-31, PS Food Mart employees encouraged patrons, vendors, and friends to purchase paper hearts, with 100% of the purchase price going to local charities, including the Food Bank of South Central Michigan and Toledo Northwest Ohio Food Bank. The total donations surpassed the original fundraising goal by more than $20,000.

“We are amazed by the generosity of our customers and our community who have given so much to help those in need. All money raised will stay in the local communities, so it really is neighbors helping neighbors,” said Jim Linton, project manager with PS Food Mart. “The ‘Fight Hunger. Give Hope.’ program was the first effort of the new PS Food Mart Charity and we couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off our initiative than with this success.”

Leading the fundraising efforts was the PS Food Mart located on Cooper Street in Jackson, Mich. Employees of this store went above and beyond to rally their customers, vendors, and members of the community. This single location raised more than $4,000 for their community.

“As a local business, we are part of the fabric of our community, and to us that carries a responsibility to help your neighbors,” said Tracy Peltcs, manager of the Cooper Street PS Food Mart Store. “We are honored that so many other people decided to pitch in, often one dollar at a time, to help families in need.”

Funds raised during the “Fight Hunger. Give Hope.” campaign will go towards operating costs of two leading local food pantries: the Food Bank of South Central Michigan and the Toledo Northwest Ohio Food Bank. Combined, these charities serve hundreds of thousands of people each year and ensure that local families have regular access to a healthy, nutritious meal.

“Like many other charities, we’ve seen the need for our services increase dramatically over the past year, while seeing cuts in funding,” said Robert Randels, executive director with the Food Bank of South Central Michigan. “The financial support given by PS Food Mart Charities and their customers will allow us to continue our goal of ensuring needy families across eight counties in South Central Michigan don’t have to choose between food on the table or a roof over their head.”

PS Food Mart Charities plans to hold more events this year in support of local charities.