By Nathan Mayberg
KIAMESHA LAKE – November 11, 2005 – Two longtime ShopRite employees and Sullivan County residents now adorn the covers of 75,000 limited edition boxes of Cheerios.
The women are being honored by the General Mills cereal company (which makes Cheerios) for their efforts in a drive by their company to raise money and awareness to help fight hunger in the area.
Teresa Steiner and Catherine Orlowsky, both of Hurleyville are two of the 51 associates featured on the front of the boxes. Steiner is actually situated in the front of all the employees.
They were chosen for winning the store’s competition in designing the most eye-catching in-store display, the funds raised for the awareness and hosting events for the cause.
ShopRite associates raised $116,753 throughout all of their stores through $1 donation cards offered to customers at checkout.
Steiner has been with the company for the last 20 years, most recently as the staffing coordinator at the store in Kiamesha Lake. Orlowsky has been a cashier at the Town of Thompson store for the last 17 years.
Steiner said the feeling was “exhilarating. I cried when I got the notice. It’s fun to be recognized for your hard work. It’s an honor.”
Orlowsky gave all the credit to Steiner. “It’s great working with my friend Teresa. She organized everything.”
They traveled to Roller Coaster Studios in East Hanover, NJ to have their picture taken with the other employees of ShopRite.
The money raised by the store Steiner and Orlowsky work in will go toward five food pantries in Monticello: Federation Food Connection, Salvation Army, St. John’s Food Pantry, St. Andrew’s Food Pantry and AIDS Related Community Services.
Their fundraising will continue throughout the rest of the year.
Any product bought at the store with the symbol of ShopRite and a heart, like the one on Cheerios, will have a portion of the proceeds go to the pantries.