PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A Halloween treat, in the form of 90,000 boxes of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal, should be in the hands of six community food banks in New England by nightfall Wednesday as a result of an initiative of Ocean State Job Lot.
David Sarlitto, marketing director for the North Kingstown-based retailer, said the first of the deliveries came early when a truck, anxious to beat Hurricane Sandy, drove to the Rhode Island Food Bank warehouse on Niantic Avenue on Monday with 16,800 boxes of Kellogg's cereal brought in from Pennsylvania.
He said Job Lot paid for the cereal and the shipping with the understanding that the food banks would distribute them to their member soup kitchens and food pantries at no charge.
Shipments to the five other food banks -- two in Connecticut, two in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire -- are due to arrive Wednesday, though there was a question about delivery to one because Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven was still without power as of late Tuesday afternoon.
"These are timely deliveries because so many of the food banks are in a crisis situation," Sarlitto said. "In some of them the cupboards are bare, and there are long lines looking food."
The company official said that when Job Lot learned that the Michigan-based cereal company was making available 90,000 boxes of the cereal at a good price, it jumped in and decided to buy the entire amount. Cereal is a hard-to-come-by item in many food pantries, even though a popular item for families with children.
"Even by our standards, the purchase of such a large amount of a single product is unusual, but we are of a mindset to make deals that will benefit food banks. With 107 stores, we have considerable buying power," Sarlitto said.
Under the company's donation program, in place for 10 years, customers are encouraged to make donations to the food bank, with Job Lot matching each gift dollar for dollar.