King Soopers to donate goods to food bank
A wide array of foods, and other items, on the shelves of the King Soopers Table Mesa store, where a gunman killed ten people in March, are being donated to a local food bank.
King Soopers, owned by the Cincinnati-based Kroger supermarket chain, is donating contents of the store to Community Food Share, a local food bank that has been serving the Boulder and Broomfield communities since 1981.
“For us, the only decision was to do something good with the store’s inventory,” said Jessica Trowbridge, of corporate affairs with King Soopers and City Market. “So in honor of the victims, their families and our associates we are making this donation to help sustain the Boulder community.”
The mass shooting happened on March 22 and the grocery store, a massive crime scene, was linked off to the public with fences for two weeks. The location, which opened in 1972 and was a longtime gathering spot for the local community, was turned back over to Kroger on April 5. It remains closed to the public.
King Soopers expected to fill 14 semi-trucks with foods and other goods — including toilet paper, cleaning products and vitamins — over the next few weeks.
“Anything we could donate, we are donating,” Trowbridge said. “It will be the single-largest donation ever to Community Food Shares. We know that this will never fill the loss, but our desire is that this donation truly honors the victims, their families and our associates.”
King Soopers officials have not yet come to a decision on the future of the store, at 3600 Table Mesa Drive, Trowbridge said.
Kim Da Silva, executive director of the nonprofit Community Food Share, said the donation will serve the local community for months to come.
“King Soopers has been our longtime partner in hunger relief and food rescue, and even amid tragedy, their commitment remains steadfast,” Da Silva said. “This monumental donation from the Table Mesa store is a gift that honors those who lost their lives through a legacy that will serve their community for months to come.”