Northeast Elementary in Waltham, Massachusetts, which serves approximately 550 students, raised $3,679 through the 2025 Hannaford Helps Schools program.

Jenn: It’s been a great experience. It’s actually really easy, I have to say. We don’t have a single person responsible for managing it; we all just work together. Our school secretary is often the one supporting and promoting the efforts, along with the PTO. She’s a really great advocate for the program.

"It’s been a great experience. It’s actually really easy, I have to say."

Jenn: We primarily rely on reports from our community meetings. When we have PTO community meetings, we highlight Hannaford Helps and share updates on the program and the funds we've raised from it so far. This year, it was an especially exciting announcement for us. We also use social media to share this information.

Mark: From my perspective, my experience with everything was pretty much the same. I think Jenn would agree, since she was the treasurer last year and I'm the treasurer this year. In terms of the information we saw, everything was very similar, so not much really changed.

Jenn: We honestly didn't do anything differently, so we were even more excited to be a top earner.

Mark: At our school, we sometimes struggle to raise funds when unexpected expenses come up in certain budget line items. When that support does come through, such as from Hannaford Helps Schools, it really excites us. We’re very focused on the financials here.

Jenn: The community response has been very positive. If you’re familiar with Waltham, you know there are several grocery store options here, and Hannaford has consistently stood out as a strong supporter of our school. This year, being a top earner was especially exciting, but in past years as well, the funds that come in from the program have been immensely helpful to our budget and our ability to support the school.

Hannaford’s ongoing support has had a really positive impact on our school community. In turn, it encourages families to choose Hannaford when they’re shopping locally, because they see us talking about them all the time. It helps narrow down those choices to, “Okay, yeah, I’m going to go to Hannaford.” It’s been great.

"This year, being a top earner was especially exciting, but in past years as well, the funds that come in from the program have been immensely helpful to our budget and our ability to support the school."

Mark: When it comes to Northeast and the PTO, we have a few specific goals in mind. Our largest budget line item is transportation for field trips, so that would be one of the primary uses of these funds. We also support other important activities at the school, such as special end-of-year celebrations. We bring in visiting artists and teachers to work with students in the classroom. We also organize teacher appreciation, which is really important.

These funds allow us to do more of these things, and to do them more comfortably, without constantly worrying about other, less effective or less reliable fundraising options.

Jenn: Our overall goal is to provide enrichment to the school at no cost to families.

Jenn: Our PTO fundraising goals are fairly consistent from year to year, mainly focused on supporting enrichment opportunities. For example, the specific field trips may change, but there will always be a need to fund transportation to and from those trips. The visiting artist we bring in may also vary each year.

Overall, our fundraising goals tend to stay pretty similar annually. I also know the school has plans for an inclusive playground to better support our student body.

Jenn: In regard to our school, we are a Title I school, so traditional fundraising has always been a bit more challenging for us because our families are largely focused on meeting their basic needs.

Being able to support and enrich our students’ school experience is really what we’re here to do. The Hannaford Helps program has been immensely helpful to our overall efforts to serve the students, families, and staff, really the greater Northeast community.

"Being able to support and enrich our students’ school experience is really what we’re here to do."

What we are most excited to share is that, with this program, communication is always so clear, timely, and effective. The materials you provide, like the social media graphics, are accessible and easy to use. It’s truly amazing; it takes the planning piece off our plate and allows us to focus on promoting Hannaford and benefiting from the funds we’re able to raise.

It’s minimal effort on our part, and we’re able to reap the benefits of Hannaford’s generosity. We are very fortunate to be part of the program, and our appreciation for Hannaford runs deep.

Posted February 10, 2026.