Southern Season donates $5,000 worth of fresh, frozen food to local charity

Little Sisters of the Poor will use the large donation to offset costs to produce the French Food Festival and feed the 96 residents of its facility.

April 15, 2016; 10:41 AM • by Trevor Dickerson

Southern Season, the specialty grocer that announced plans to close its 53,000-square-foot store on Staples Mill Road earlier this week, will put a large portion of its fresh and frozen foods to good use.

The company announced today that it has donated 1,500 pounds of fresh and frozen food valued at approximately $5,000 to Little Sisters of the Poor, the charity that runs the French Food Festival. The donation will defray the cost of putting on the festival, which runs April 29th through the 30th.

Fred Nixon, Southern Season’s director of restaurants, coordinated the transfer, which includes cases of fresh produce and dairy products received this week. Nixon says Southern Season also provided a large supply of frozen foods that the charity, which cares for the elderly poor, can use over time to feed its 96 on-site residents.

“Richmond and Virginia are still very important to us,” said Southern Season President Dave Herman, who has been on site as the Richmond location conducts its storewide closing sale, in a statement. “In new and existing markets, we like to support charitable causes. This is an excellent opportunity for us to do that.”

Sister Rosemarie, Collecting Sister for Little Sisters of the Poor Virginia, says they filled their large “begging van” twice in order to bring all of the items back to organization’s St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged in nearby Henrico.

“We are so grateful for the fabulous donation of food that will help us,” she said. “Income from our residents covers only about 40 percent of our operating costs. This will help us cut down the cost of the French Food Festival and go a long way toward helping with meals we prepare in the home.”

Southern Season currently plans to keep its Richmond store open through April 25th. Shelves are still being restocked daily with gourmet foods, kitchenware and gift items on sale at 40% off, the company said in its news release.