The world looks much different since we last gathered to support and celebrate The Rite Aid Foundation. Our nation has endured the unimaginable loss of more than 500,000 of our family members, friends and neighbors to a once-a-century pandemic that has upended life and society as we knew it. Because of the extraordinary events of the past year, we must come together to support a special cause, but against the backdrop of a fundamentally reshaped world, recognizing the realities facing so many individuals and families in our shared communities.
As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic, race-based deaths and tensions, and ... the civil unrest that has permeated the past year has more deeply exposed the societal fault lines that have long existed within neighborhoods we serve, and has shown us we have much more work to do. For example, Latinos, Blacks and Native Americans are two times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans, according to CDC data. And in 2021 alone, 1 in 8 individuals in America could experience food insecurity due to the ongoing economic fallout from the pandemic, exacerbating existing hunger for families in communities we serve. The Rite Aid Foundation has tracked those numbers — and sees our neighbors’ faces behind them. We are setting our sights to close those gaps through care and attention, plus programs and funds, to address the basic building blocks of a good life: education, health, food, income and housing. We believe each area is key to reducing long-standing health disparities that are often rooted in racial, social and economic disadvantages.
The Foundation has spent the past year sharpening its purpose and transforming its strategies, programs and relationships to meet the complex and pressing needs of Rite Aid’s communities, while also providing more funding to communities than any prior year in its 20-year history. We are building and deepening partnerships that support racial equity, girls’ empowerment, children’s health, community vitality and other key issues, directly impacting lives and futures as we seek to drive progress and change.
At the same time, The Foundation met the pandemic moment, too. We supported mental health resources for nurses on the front lines, food for communities in need, and personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing supplies to keep staff and patients at children’s hospitals safe. And we helped ensure that regional hotspots, especially those hit hard during the acute onset of the pandemic, had resources to weather the difficult first months. On the heels of that crisis, we supported organizations such as EmbraceRace too in its mission to raise children who are thoughtful, informed and brave about race — and to lend advice to parents who need assistance speaking to their kids about the realities of systemic racism.
This past and most unprecedented year has energized us to elevate our work even higher. The Rite Aid Foundation has an extraordinary opportunity and responsibility to drive leadership and progress that impacts the health and wellness of everyone in our local communities. We will pursue creative and innovative initiatives, programs and solutions that generate hope, optimism, resiliency and impact in communities, plus inclusiveness and opportunity for all in neighborhoods across Rite Aid’s 17-state footprint.
Yes, the world has changed. And yet, so much more can change for the better because of your belief in The Rite Aid Foundation’s mission and your generosity in supporting it. Together, we can bring progress, hope and change to our neighbors and neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Jessica Kazmaier
Executive Vice President,
Chief Human Resources Officer
President – The Rite Aid Foundation
Jessica Kazmaier
Executive VP, CHRO
Together, Rite Aid and The Rite Aid Foundation are committed to optimizing the health and wellness of the communities we serve. We aim to serve as a catalyst for positive change, with a particular focus on underserved and disadvantaged segments of society.
As the charitable foundation for a top Three Pharmacy in the U.S. and Fortune 150 company delivering healthcare services, vital medications and retail products to more than 1.6 million Americans daily, we see the challenges that individuals and families face every day. They stand across the counter from our associates.
The Rite Aid Foundation confronts and addresses those challenges and the profound inequities and divides in our communities – including racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, health and education divides – with energy, passion and determination, recognizing that discrimination is among the greatest threats to one’s health and well.
With a network of nearly 500 supported nonprofit organizations and local, regional and national partners, The Rite Aid Foundation drives impact in key fields and recognizes that many small actions can drive big change.
Learn more here: https://foundation.riteaid.com/
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