SALISBURY - Salisbury based Food Lion has launched a new initiative in 581 stores focused on improved quality, enhanced freshness and expanded variety of produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables also now come with a double-your-money-back guarantee, and customers will soon find helpful tips in-store for keeping produce fresher longer at home.

To enhance freshness and quality, the company has transformed its fresh produce processes, from purchasing the best products to enhancing warehouse storage and transportation, and, finally, careful handling at our stores. Examples of improved produce handling practices include temperature adjustments and reduced time at distribution centers.  Warehouse, transportation and produce associates at stores have also undergone extensive training to support the company’s new produce initiative. 

SALISBURY - From the Department of Veterans Affairs: Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced  the award of approximately $1.2 million in grant money to Community Link Programs of Traveler Aid Society of Central Carolinas, Inc. one of 38 projects around the country that will provide temporary housing to formerly homeless Veterans with the goal they will retain the residence as their own.

“As we drive toward our goal to end homelessness among Veterans in 2015, VA continues to find innovative ways to permanently house Veterans who were formerly homeless,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

The grant to Community Link Programs of Traveler Aid Society of Central Carolinas, Inc. will be used to provide a daily average of 25 beds for homeless Veterans to promote increased housing stabilization.  Housing will be provided at scattered site apartments in the Charlotte, N.C., Metropolitan Area. 

It’s not too late to secure a room for the 2012 Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Charlotte, N.C., and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) is launching tools to help visitors easily locate the area hotels with availability.

As is customary for large conventions, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) held large blocks of rooms in the area to accommodate delegates and guests. In accordance with the contract, the DNCC released unused rooms to hotels Monday, Aug. 13, giving visitors new opportunities to find rooms at previously sold-out hotels. 

“We are pleased to see a low attrition rate from the DNC room block,” said Tom Murray, CEO of the CRVA. “We helped them secure 15,000 rooms in the market, and they were able to fill 93% of those rooms before the release date.