Grocery store workers team up to fight food insecurity

Hundreds of volunteers from Mariano’s and Roundy’s stores gathered Thursday in Gurnee for the Stuff-a-Palooza 2026 Hunger Relief Bag Packing Event.

The group assembled about 55,000 hunger-relief bags as part of a two-day effort to support local food pantries and Feeding America food bank partners throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Hunger continues to impact far too many families in the communities we call home,” Roundy’s President Michael Marx said. “Stuff-a-Palooza brings together our associates, community partners and food bank partners around a shared mission: ensuring our neighbors have access to the food they need.”

Participating hunger-relief organizations include: Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank.

“There’s so many people in the community that struggle with food insecurity every day, and this is our way to give back,” said Bettina Hall, vice president of operations for Roundy’s.

“This is a really great, uplifting way for us just to be involved with our community, she added.

bhill@dailyherald.com