Foundation leading conversations on food
access, food security and waste challenges
CINCINNATI, April 9,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) Zero
Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation today announced it is sponsoring the
2024 National STEM Festival co-presented by EXPLR and the U.S.
Department of Education April 12-13
in Washington, D.C. The festival
is the first-ever nationwide initiative to foster creativity,
critical thinking and a passion for science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects among middle and high
school students.
"We are excited to meet the talented young minds behind the
innovations changing the future of food," said Tim Massa, senior vice president and chief
people officer at Kroger. "For 140 years Kroger has been at the
forefront of food innovation driven by the passion of our people
like these STEM Champions. Cultivating this talent is an investment
in our future and critical to our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
vision."
Last fall, The National STEM Challenge invited students in
grades 6-12 from across the U.S. and its territories to conceive
and submit STEM innovations, inventions and research across six
categories: Environmental Stewardship, Future Foods, Health and
Medicine, Powering the Planet, Space Innovation and Tech for Good.
In February, 126 STEM Champions were invited to attend and showcase
their projects at the festival.
The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, a nonprofit public
charity established to direct charitable funds to organizations and
innovators aligned with Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact
plan, is sponsoring the Festival's Future Foods pillar. Students
were challenged to research, design and propose practical ideas for
more sustainable and equitable food production, distribution and
consumption, considering factors such as food security, resource
conservation and a changing climate.
"The students participating in the STEM Festival have
world-changing ideas, from innovative solutions to reduce food
waste to advancing climate research," said Keith Dailey, group vice president of corporate
affairs and chief sustainability officer for Kroger. "We are so
inspired and energized by these outstanding students and look
forward to celebrating their work in Washington, D.C."
The Kroger Co., recognized for its culture and commitment to
creating a workplace that respects and values every community, has
opportunities for Future Foods-related STEM jobs across the company
– from culinary innovation for planet-forward foods to leading
in-house finance, technology systems and supply chain teams.
For more information about the National STEM Festival, visit:
www.nationalstemfestival.com
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR),
we are dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit™. We are,
across our family of companies nearly half a million associates who
serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless digital
shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety
of banner names, serving America through food inspiration and
uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To
learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor
relations site.
About The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
Foundation
The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2018. Since its
formation, the organization directed more than $59 million to
organizations, innovators and changemakers across the U.S. who are
working to end hunger and waste in their communities. It encourages
organizations and founders to work together, catalyze innovation
and create a food system that will serve America into the
future. Visit https://zerohungerzerowastefoundation.org
to learn more.
About EXPLR
EXPLR's mission is to help kids thrive in
school and life by providing real-world, rigorous, and relevant
educational resources. EXPLR is a streaming video and curriculum
service for grade 5-12 students, teachers, and families that helps
bridge critical gaps in K-12 education. It was co-founded by
leading education and entertainment figures Jenny Buccos (founder of
ProjectExplorer), Kari
Byron (former Discovery Channel Mythbuster ),
and Andrew Zimmern (TV
personality, producer, and U.N. World Food Programme Goodwill
Ambassador). Since launching in 2021, EXPLR has been used in over
500 schools across 23 US states.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.