ShopRite gives out record amount in charitable grants to nonprofit organizations while launching new initiatives and expanded partnership with the LPGA
ShopRite celebrated its support for women’s golf and community at this year’s ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer, giving out a record $1.8 million in grants to food banks, hospitals and other charitable organizations at the annual luncheon on June 6. Friday’s luncheon capped off a tournament season with new ShopRite LPGA initiatives that included a scholarship program, more sponsorships for athletes on the LPGA Tour and a TeamSmile® dental care clinic that helped 142 local children.
Major champion Jennifer Kupcho won her fourth LPGA Tour event on Sunday at the ShopRite LPGA Classic with a birdie on the final hole in a field that featured 144 of the world’s best professional women golfers competing at the Seaview Bay Course in Galloway. Leading into the weekend tournament, ShopRite’s Annual Charitable Luncheon recognized the community champions who fight hunger, help families in need and invest in research for the treatment of life-altering diseases.
Representatives from nearly 50 regional non-profits accepted grants during the luncheon. Special guest speakers included Loree Jones, CEO of Philabundance; Scott Hennis, CEO of The Arc of Atlantic County; and Jim Dorey, president of Inserra Supermarkets, a fourth-generation family business that operates 23 ShopRites and two Price Rite Marketplace stores in New Jersey and New York and is committed to giving back in the communities where their stores operate.
“The annual ShopRite charitable luncheon remains one of the most meaningful traditions of our LPGA partnership, giving us the opportunity to celebrate the people and organizations driving positive change across our communities,” said Karen Meleta, chief communications officer for Wakefern Food Corp., the supermarket cooperative and merchandising and distribution arm for ShopRite stores. “We donated a record $1.8 million in 2025 and nearly $45 million through our support of the LPGA over the years — funding that has been a game changer for so many organizations doing good in the community.”
Tournament officials at the ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer also announced this season an expanded, multi-year partnership with ShopRite that includes new incentives to help athletes with the costs often associated with competition and other programs to help young people.
ShopRite created “Team ShopRite” this year to support and sponsor five deserving golfers as they chase their dreams on the LPGA circuit. ShopRite also teamed up with the non-profit organization First Tee to provide college scholarships to 12 high school athletes representing nine First Tee Chapters. First Tee, which uses golf to teach life skills and foster educational opportunities in under-resourced communities, worked with the ShopRite LPGA Classic to select the scholarship recipients. The recipients participated in a golf clinic, competed in a nine-hole skills competition and attended the awards ceremony Sunday with tournament winner Jennifer Kupcho.
“We want to create a lasting impact by giving back to the community and supporting women’s sports. The ShopRite LPGA Classic is the perfect platform for us to do that, and we are so excited to expand our partnership to make this premiere event even better with new initiatives and new ways to support the athletes and the community,” said Wakefern President Mike Stigers.
And for the first time at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, ShopRite collaborated with Colgate-Palmolive through its Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® and TeamSmile® to bring dental care and oral health education to underserved children. On June 6, a one-day clinic at the tournament provided children with free oral exams, on-site treatment and the opportunity to meet LPGA players.
“We believe in the power of sport to create positive change, and ShopRite and Wakefern’s unwavering support plays a crucial role in our mission to give back,” said Jeremy Friedman, media director for the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “We’re proud to partner with them as the longest-standing title sponsor on the LPGA Tour.”
The ShopRite LPGA Classic Presented by Acer kicked off on Friday, June 6 and continued through Sunday, June 8. The elite 144-player field featured several of the world’s top-ranked players, major champions, past champions and players who are making their LPGA Tour debuts.
Atlantic City’s largest sporting event, the ShopRite LPGA Classic is one of the LPGA Tour’s longest running events. For three decades, golf fans from across the northeast have converged upon the Jersey Shore to watch the top female golfers in the world compete on the famed waterfront course. The tournament not only hosts one of the strongest fields in women’s golf, but it also creates more than $19 million in economic activity in the region each year.
