Grocery Outlet Donates Nearly $3,000 in Groceries to St. Vincent de Paul
Cody Miller recently returned to The Dalles to take over ownership of The Dalles Grocery Outlet and said he takes pride in being a part of The Dalles community and having a charitable impact with his business.
By Cole Goodwin
Grocery Outlet donated $2,983 in gift cards to St. Vincent de Paul in The Dalles, OR today following a promotion that ran through July in which Grocery Outlet shoppers could donate $5 to St. Vincent de Paul in exchange for $5 off in-store.
Dave Lutgens, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul. St. Vincent de Paul said that the donation was very much appreciated.
“We will use it to feed people for months and months,” said Dave Lutgens, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul.
Cody Miller, Owner of The Dalles Grocery Outlet and Dave Lutgens, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Society hold up donated Grocery Outlet gift cards.
St. Vincent de Paul offers several services including a food bank, community meals, warming and cooling shelters for those experiencing houselessness and more.
Food insecurity has been a key issue that has faced those experiencing houselessness in The Dalles for years. Although several faith groups, non-profit organizations, and volunteers work to keep The Dalles’s unhoused population fed-more donations are always needed.
“We’re feeding sixty to seventy people a day,” said Lutgens.
“Whatever they need in-store, the food bank can get it with these gift cards,” said Cody Miller, the new Owner of The Dalles Grocery Outlet. Miller said he could remember serving food at St. Vincent when he was a kid attending St. Mary’s Academy and was glad to have the opportunity to serve the community again as an adult.
Dave Lutgens and Cody Miller cruise around the store looking for groceries.
Miller said having a local charitable impact is a part of his mission to ‘keep it local’.
“For me, I was born and raised in The Dalles. So when I came back my main goal was to keep it local,” said Miller who also raised money for St. Vincent de Paul while he was the store director at The Dalles Safeway, he remembered enjoying the experience and wanted to do it again. “So I reached out to them again and we were able to team up.”
Miller also wanted to thank everyone in the community who took part in the Gift $5 Get $5 promotion to raise money for St. Vincent de Paul.
“This wouldn’t be possible without the participation of our customers,” said Miller, “I want to say a big thank you to everyone that participated. Thank you for shopping at your local Grocery Outlet.”
