Shared commitment to advancing literacy, reducing hunger

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp, today announced it has bestowed the “Because Kindness Matters” award to Save the Children. The humanitarian organization will also receive a $1.7 million grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to help ensure children in rural America have increased access to quality education and nutritious food.

“Save the Children has a long legacy, extending over 100 years, of helping children in need in our hometown communities and around the world,” said Denine Torr, Dollar General’s vice president of corporate social responsibility and philanthropy and executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Torr added that the foundation and the retailer share a commitment to advancing literacy, addressing hunger and extending hope through compassion and kindness.

Dollar General noted that it partnered with the owner of the Reader’s Digest brand to create the award that would salute a nonprofit that is making an impact on the major retailer’s hometowns. The granting of the award to Save the Children was featured in the publication’s October issue.

Since 2020, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has provided Save the Children with more than $5 million to address literacy needs in rural and underserved communities, including training and technical assistance for teachers, support of the Rural Library Network, and helping ensure children have access to educational materials and nutritious food.

“Save the Children is grateful for this recognition and for Dollar General’s tremendous support, which is creating lasting change in the lives of children and families we work with in rural America,” said Betsy Zorio, vice president of U.S. programs at Save the Children.

The Because Kindness Matters Award complements Dollar General’s. DG Kindness awards, which highlight employees’ positive impacts across the country through DG’s mission of serving others.

The Because Kindness Matters partnership with Reader’s Digest also features DG employees engaged in community service. The publication’s current issue highlights the activities of DG employees Joi Bass, in Indianola, Miss., and Johanna Sampson, in Ardmore, Okla., which illustrate the company’s mission of serving others as good neighbors in hometown communities, the company said.