Skogen’s Festival Foods proudly announces its recognition as an FMI Foundation 2023 Gold Plate Award winner, marking the fifth Gold Plate Award given to the Wisconsin retail grocer since 2016. The annual Gold Plate Awards Ceremony on November 28th brought together food retailers and suppliers to honor various campaigns and programs that supported September’s National Family Meals Month movement.
To assist with promoting the movement, Festival Foods created the Family Meals Month: More Meals Together campaign. The campaign showcased a variety of engaging initiatives, including vendor partner-sponsored recipes; family meal ideas shared via email, social media and the Festival Foods website; and informative Family Meals Month content shared in Festival Foods’ weekly store ad online, in-store and via local newspapers.
Additionally, Festival Foods dedicated resources to create donation opportunities to support the Food for Neighbors program, which Festival started in 2004. Through the support of vendor partners and generous contributions from guests, over $40,000 was raised for the Food for Neighbors program in September, a 29% increase from the previous year. One hundred percent of donations received by the Food for Neighbors program were, and continue to be, directed to 50 food pantries across Wisconsin to provide support for their communities.
David Fikes, Executive Director of the FMI Foundation, said, “Skogen’s Festival Foods was among the first food retailers actively supporting FMI’s Family Meals Month when it started nine years ago, and its continued commitment to the program vividly demonstrates how much the company cares about the nutritional, emotional and mental health of its customers. Its 2023 Food for Neighbors program was wildly successful at bringing its shopping community together, facilitating neighbors caring for neighbors and providing an expansive view of what family means. “
Festival Foods remains dedicated to fostering community well-being and looks forward to continuing its impactful contributions in the future.