This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
By the close of business Monday, Macey's, Fresh Market, Dan's, Lin's and Dick's Markets hope to raise $44,000 for the March of Dimes to help the one-in-nine babies born too soon each year in Utah.
Store clerks have been selling cutouts at checkout stands, asking customers to sign their name or the name of a baby they love, which in turn will be used to create an in-store display.
Cutouts may be purchased for $1 or more to help support March of Dimes' prenatal wellness programs, newborn intensive care unit family-support program, research and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.
Over the past five years, Associated Retail Operations has contributed more than $200,000 in proceeds by selling the paper cutouts.
Associated Retail Operations is a group of corporate stores owned by Associated Food Stores, an independent retailer-owned warehouse based in Salt Lake City, which provides products and services to more than 400 grocers in the Intermountain West. The corporate stores operate under the banners of Macey's, Fresh Market, Dan's, Lin's and Dick's Markets.