TALK
RADE
Supporting Those
in Service
As part of its annual Support Our Troops in-store campaign,
customers and associates of the GIANT Food Stores/MARTIN’S Food
Markets division of Ahold Delhaize raised and donated $643,518
to United Service Organizations (USO) and the American Red Cross
Services to the Armed Forces in support of service members.
“GIANT/MARTIN’S is proud to support our brave men and women
who are serving our country and help to keep them connected to
their families,” says Tom Lenkevich, president of GIANT/MARTIN’S,
based in Carlisle, Pa. “In the 12 years we have held the Support
Our Troops campaign, more than $4.5 million has been generously
donated to organizations like the USO and the American Red Cross
This year’s recipients of Support Our Troops were: USO of
Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey (Liberty USO), $281,133;
USO of Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, $27,509; USO Metro
DC, $13,113; and American Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces,
$321,756.
“The support of GIANT/MARTIN’s patriotic customers makes it possible for the USO of Pennsylvania and Southern NJ to take care of
military families in profound ways,” says Kate McCloud, director of
advancement, Liberty USO.
Red Cross Central Pennsylvania Region CEO Jeri Sims adds, “We
are so grateful for our incredible partnership with GIANT/MARTIN’S.
This donation will enable us to provide critical support to our service
members and their families. From emergency communications, to
support in coping with deployments, to assistance at VA hospitals,
we’re here for our heroes and their families every step of the way.”
PAPER VS. HOT AIR
Retailers may want to think twice
about ripping out the paper towel
dispensers from their public and
employee restrooms and replacing them with
environmentally-friendly hot air dryers. According
to a study commissioned by Cintas
Corporation, the majority of
Americans ( 69 percent) prefer
to use paper towels over air dryers
when drying their hands in public
restrooms. The study was conducted
online in May by Harris Poll, among
2,048 adults ages 18 and older.
“Hand drying plays an important role in effective hand hygiene,”
says John Engel, director of marketing for Cintas, based in Cincinnati.
“Studies show that germs can be
more easily transferred to and from
wet hands, which is why drying
hands after washing them is essential
to staving off bacteria and limiting
the spread of infection.”
Of those that chose paper tow-
els as their preferred hand-drying
method, the top five reasons were:
Paper towels dry hands better ( 70
percent); paper towels dry hands
faster ( 69 percent); paper towels pro-
vide something to open the restroom
door with ( 52 percent); air dryers blow
bacteria into the air ( 24 percent); and
air dryers are too loud (22 percent).
“What this data tells us is that the
majority of Americans want a quick,
thorough and hygienic public rest-
room experience,” Engel says. “While
paper towels reduce the number of
bacteria on hands, air dryers increase
them, leading to further contamina-
tion of not only clean hands, but other
restroom users up to six feet away.
This makes paper towels a ‘no brainer’
choice for hand drying.”
The survey also found that age is
a factor when it comes to preference
for paper towels, with 76 percent of
Americans ages 35-44 preferring paper
towels, compared to 60 percent of
those ages 18-34. Additionally, women
are more likely than men to prefer
paper towels with 73 percent and 66
percent, respectively.
