Harris Teeter 2000 Annual Report Download - page 23

18 Ruddick Corporation and Subsidiaries 2000 Annual Report
At Ruddick Corporation, we believe it is critical to give
back to the communities that have supported us and helped us
grow. We think it is so important that we include our commit-
ment in our mission statement. Both our subsidiaries donate
employee time and cash contributions to a wide variety of char-
itable organizations. Of special interest to both Harris Teeter and
A&E is the quality of education in our communities, because we
recognize that our children will be our future employees and that
our success is dependent on theirs.
Harris Teeter’s primary vehicle for contributing to commu-
nity education programs is Together in Education (TIE).
Launched in August 1998,TIE provides schools with additional
funding to bring new technology and equipment into classrooms
and to improve educational opportunities offered by schools.
The program generates grants by donating a percentage of our
customers’ purchases of Harris Teeter private label items to the
schools of their choice. After only two years of operation, Harris
Teeter’s TIE program has provided more than $1 million in cash
grants to nearly 2,200 schools in our six-state marketing area,
and more than 94,000 customers have participated.
Likewise, A&E is involved in several programs that focus
on linking business and education. A number of our employees
work with JobReady, a program to develop work-oriented
education that provides high school students with both academic
and workplace skills and training. JobReady systems are intended
to integrate academic and vocational education, link secondary
and post-secondary education, provide learning opportunities at
the work site and fully involve the private sector in education. It
oversees the “Trading Places” program, the securing of sites for
job “shadowing,” cooperative education and apprenticeships.
A&E was also one of the charter members of the Gaston County
Education Foundation. Established in 1992, this foundation has
been successful in building a significant corpus of funds and fills
grant requests submitted by individual teachers in the county’s
public schools in the pursuit of excellence in the classroom.A&E
was also instrumental in bringing Junior Achievement to Gaston
County and provides employee volunteers and cash donations.
Our Focus on Education
Current and past associates, as well as potential future
employees, will benefit from A&E’s involvement in local
programs promoting academic and workplace education.
The VIC card program allows Harris Teeter to measure private
label sales for use in Together in Education.