Hy-Vee honors Juneteenth with $220,000 donation
Contribution part of planned $1 million program supporting racial unity
June 22, 2020
Midwestern grocery Hy-Vee has donated more than $220,000 to groups supporting racial equality and unity in recognition of Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in the United States.
Organizations receiving the initial donations, Hy-Vee said Friday, include the Starts Right Here organization, based in Des Moines, Iowa; the Alan Page Foundation, based in Minneapolis; and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM), based in Kansas City, Mo.
Also known as Freedom Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is celebrated in communities across the country to honor the U.S. emancipation of slaves on June 19, 1865.
Hy-Vee said the contributions are the first three donations from its previously announced $1 million and 1 million volunteer-hour commitment to organizations that support social justice. The West Des Moines-based grocer, with more than 260 stores in eight states, is funding the donations through its philanthropic One Step program.