CINCINNATI — Kroger Health announced Tuesday that NFL quarterback Joe Burrow will serve as a brand ambassador promoting Kroger Health initiatives.

Burrow, a southeast Ohio native, won the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player and the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020 and was selected by the Bengals as the first overall pick in 2020. During the 2021 NFL season, Burrow led the Bengals to the AFC Championship and a Super Bowl appearance while setting franchise records for passer rating, completion percentage and single game passing yards.

Burrow’s 2020 Heisman Trophy speech, in which he mentioned poverty and hunger in southeast Ohio, drove significant donations to the Athens County Food Pantry and led to the creation of the Joe Burrow Hunger Relief Fund. The fund has amassed more than $1.3 million dollars since it was founded and represents Burrow’s continued effort to end food insecurity.

“As an athlete, I know the value of good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle,” said Burrow. “I am honored to work together with Kroger to encourage families to make changes in their daily lives that can lead to healthier lifestyles, while also increasing access to nutritious foods for underserved communities. I look forward to sharing these important messages to Bengals Nation.”

Burrow’s commitment aligns perfectly with Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan, to end food insecurity and waste in the communities Kroger serves by 2025. In 2021, the company directed a total of $343 million in charitable giving to our communities, including $199 million in food and funds for hunger relief. Through our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Food Rescue program, our associates recovered 94 million pounds of surplus food from company-operated facilities, for a total of nearly 500 million meals for our communities.

“At Kroger, Our Purpose is to Feed the Human Spirit and our vision is to help people live healthier lives,” said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. “With Joe’s commitment to ending hunger in his home area of southeast Ohio, this is a natural collaboration for us and will help to improve the health and wellness of thousands in our communities. We are thrilled to have Joe as a member of our Kroger Health team and applaud his support and commitment to our Cincinnati community. Together we can continue our shared commitment to promote and support healthier lifestyles.”