PARSIPPANY — Associates from the ShopRite of Parsippany loaded thousands of bottles of water for delivery to Parsippany schools on Friday, May 6.
A family-owned and operated business, the ShopRite of Parsippany wanted to help after learning that seven area schools had tested positive for lead in the water. Elevated lead levels were found in the water at two elementary schools just last week, and five other district public schools tested positive for the presence of lead in the water late last month.
ShopRite reached out to the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District and arranged for the water donation. On Friday, May 6, associates at the ShopRite of Parsippany loaded 120 cases of water – or 5,760 bottles – onto a truck for delivery to the district. The water bottles will be distributed to elementary schools where the drinking fountains have been turned off.
“This is our home and these are our neighbors and we wanted to help,” said Dara Sblendorio of Sunrise ShopRite, Inc., which owns the ShopRite of Parsippany and the ShopRite of West Caldwell. “We are third and fourth generation grocers and we’ve been serving the North Jersey community for more than 70 years.”
While Parsippany chose to voluntarily test their school water lines, the state last week ordered all public schools to check for lead that might be leaching into water from aging pipes and infrastructure.
About ShopRite
ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. With more than 260 ShopRite supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, ShopRite serves more than six million customers each week. A long-time supporter of key community efforts, ShopRite is dedicated to fighting hunger in the communities it serves. Through its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, ShopRite has donated $39 million to 1,700 worthy charities and food banks since the program began in 1999. For more information, please visit www.ShopRite.com.
