Kroger Names Thousands of Students Zero Heroes

The Kroger Co. said that 14,656 students across America have been named Zero Heroes through the retailer's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste youth engagement program.

Students earned service awards for taking action during the 2023-2024 school year to create communities free from hunger and waste and advance United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 12: Zero Hunger and Responsible Consumption and Production. This year, Zero Hero student award winners completed 107,175 volunteer hours, generating a community impact value of $3.5 million.

"We are inspired and energized by our 2023-2024 class of Zero Heroes. These bright students reflect the spirit of our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste mission, and we are grateful for their dedication and achievements in communities from coast to coast," said Denise Osterhues, Kroger's senior director of sustainability and social impact, in a statement. "Their commitment to service is a great reminder that we can each make a big difference through everyday actions. By working together to fight hunger and waste, we can make a larger impact in our communities."

To amplify community service opportunities related to Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste impact plan, the retailer developed the youth engagement program in 2019 in collaboration with InnerView—a platform to empower student volunteers. InnerView offers paths for students to explore volunteer opportunities, capture service activities, develop skills through impact-driven projects and demonstrate community impact aligned with the Global Goals.

Since the 2019-2020 school year, more than 46,425 youth Zero Heroes completed a total of more than 365,0575 volunteer service hours. Their achievements generated a total community impact value of $10.8 million.