Last week, I had the extreme honor of co-hosting the Stop and Shop New Jersey Mom Blogger Event on April 15th held at the Frog & Peach Restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
I had the opportunity to lunch with my friends Deborah, Monica and Vanessa [who, I come to find out, is moving to Ohio...DARNIT!!!] as well as having had the pleasure of meeting terrific bloggers Kate, Hilary, Bay and Cecile!
My friends at 360 PR [waves to Victoria, Caitlin and Stephanie] really know how to pull a party together and I was very happy to be able revisit with Andrea Astrachan, Peg Merzbacher and Faith Weiner -- the very, very smart women behind Stop and Shop -- since, our last meeting at Sara Beth's Restaurant in New York City!
I know what you're thinking. Boy, these ladies really do get around, right? Well, yeah and you know why?
It's like my friend Monica said in her blog post about the event, these ladies really do #getit and not only are they talking to bloggers (like me) their speaking with moms (also, like me) because, Stop and Shop really wants to hear what their customers (ditto) have to say.
Did I mention, they invited our kids, gave us gifts, made a HUGE donation to one of my favorite charities and even have a little something for you, too?
Judging by these beautiful surroundings, it's hard for me to believe how wet and windy the day started out -- at least, in my neck of the woods in Monmouth County -- and who knew that New Brunswick was going through some pretty major construction, or that the Church Street parking garage (at least, the one I was in) was clear across town and didn't have enough sense to get back into her car, rather than walk in the rain?
Nope, NOT ME!
Cicile, Deb, Me (my hands are still frozen, solid) and Kate!
It didn't take long for us to start comparing notes and talk about how our kids feel about being blogged, or not!
Bay and Monica [looking all pretty in purple] are listening to each of the bloggers introduce a little something about themselves.
Faith and Andrea did a wonderful job of introducing all my blogging friends to the really cool stuff that Stop and Shop has in store for their customers, literally.
Andrea gave us a break down of how fast (and easy) a mom (like me) could throw together a healthy meal, for a family of 4, for just under $10.00!
Also, see those pretty reusable shopping bags, according to Andrea, recent statistics suggest that use of 5 reusable bags can replace 520 plastic bags in a year, so BYOB! Here are tips from other customers on how to remember to bring your own bags:
- Return bags to your car immediately after unpacking your groceries.
- Keep them visible in the car and keep extras in the trunk too!
- Hang bags on the inside handle of the door you use to leave your home.
- Put your shopping list inside your reusable bag when you need your list you'll remember your bags!
- Hang a green ribbon on your rear view mirror as a reminder.
If you are not currently using reusable bags, this Wednesday (4/22) is Earth Day and Stop and Shop is offering 5 free reusable bags with the purchase of certain items.
You can get all sorts of useful information and tips like these by visiting Andrea's column on StopandShop.com.
I first learned about Peapod (Stop and Shop's online shopping and delivery service) from Peg Merzbacher (pictured above) and blogged about the life saving effects of using their Nutrifilter, last summer:
- Shoppers can select a program, such as USDA Low Fat, USDA Low Sodium, USDA Good Fiber and Weight Watchers.
- Nutrifilter then finds the items in each category that meet the selected program's criteria.
- Nutrifilter also provides a filter for Gluten-free and Peanut-free items, helping parents of children with food allergies shop with confidence.
Something new I learned, this tour: Peapod.com keeps a history of your shopping list(s) [my husband makes out our shopping list and thought that this fact was totally worth underlining] and your list(s) can be sorted by price, brand, nutritional values, etc. and weekly specials are automatically flagged!
You can also use their Nutrifilter offline, as well!
It was great to sit together and enjoy a meal (with real napkins) while listening to all the good things that Stop and Shop is doing to help families (like mine) prepare quick and healthy meals.
Then, it was my turn to talk (YIKES!) and I spoke about how Stop and Shop is a great community partner.
As you may already know, I became involved with Blogging Out Hunger in raising money and bringing awareness to the This Bank Can't Fail campaign (thanks to my good friend, Deborah Smith of JerseyBites.com) on behalf of The Community Food Bank of New Jersey and families in need across the garden state.
Then, I took it one step further.
So, I asked Stop and Shop if they would like to help me with a call out for donations -- and they did -- by generously offering $1.00 for each comment.
I was so happy to meet Phyllis Dunlop (second from left) who is the Vice President of Resource Development and Marketing for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey -- but, not as happy as she was when I handed her a check for $209.00, thanks to generous readers of This Full House and courtesy of my friends at Stop and Shop.
No, I don't have a picture of that...darnit!
Stop & Shop is a big supporter of the food bank -- their Food For Friends campaign raised more than $1 million dollars which is being distributed to 300 local hunger relief organizations throughout the Northeast.
Of course, there was schwag and I just love that they were actually Stop and Shop's very own reusable bags.
I'm already a big fan of Nature's Promise, but my youngest girl (Hope is 7) and I were eager to try their blue corn chips and salsa and, well, her face says it all. Oh, and those the smudges on her forehead? Well, actually, they are semi-permanent tattoos she found in her on Easter morning...stupid Easter Bunny!
THE REALLY BIG NEWS?
I am very proud to have partnered with Stop and Shop for this event and will be accepting a donation of $500.00 on behalf of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey to help in the fight against poverty and hunger!
Why?
Because, nice matters and Stop & Shop knows we care [stay tuned for more ways in which bloggers, like me, can help bitch-slap hunger] and that, my friends, is what blogging is ALL about!!!
But, wait there's more!
I've got a $50.00 gift card, courtesy of my friends at Stop & Shop, that I'm just itching to give it away.
Because, we roll like that!
WIN IT HERE: Leave a comment on this post and let me know if my recap of the Stop and Shop event was helpful (or, not) by Monday, 10:00 a.m. on Monday, April 27th. Seriously, we'd love to hear your opinion! One (1) winner will be picked (via random.org) and announced via email and post on PRIZEYWinners!
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