Kinsley’s Market was one of two family-owned grocery stores to be awarded the Shelby Report’s Exceptional Grocer Award on Feb. 24 at the National Grocers Association Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the second year in a row that the store won the award.

The Kinsley family owns and operates ShopRite of Brodheadsville, which began as Kinsley Market in 1950, a meat market in Scotrun started by Clayton Kinsley.

Today, the market is a member of the Wakefern Food Corp., which is a retailer-owned cooperative under the store banners of ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer and others in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Each member independently owns and operates their stores.

In a news release from Wakefern Food Corp., it said the award recognizes independent grocers “who have made exceptional contributions to the communities they serve, and invested in their stores and team members.”

Christopher Kinsley Sr., president of the ShopRite of Brodheadsville, said he was honored to receive the award on behalf of his family and the store associates.

“It’s special,” he said. “It’s not just for me and my family. It’s for all our associates.”

Some of his staff have worked for the store for more than 20 years. Kinsley added that he hopes his staff knows just how much they are making a difference.

“You can tell them all you want, but when you get an award that shows it,” he said. “I thank our associates. Without them, we’re nothing. They make us what we are today. I’m very proud of them.”

The award recognizes that the Kinsleys offer their staff the opportunity to take courses at a local community college and provide a $5,000 scholarship to a star associate each year.

For the community, the Kinsley family has given back to the community since its beginning through fundraising and donations. They support local organizations including the Salvation Army, the American Cancer Society, Red Cross, March of Dimes, Operation: Touch of Home and nearby churches, sports teams, fire departments and food pantries, the news release stated.

The store also is concerned about the environment. ShopRite of Brodheadsville unveiled a 10-acre solar array near the store with nearly 4,300 panels in 2023. The system is expected to supply nearly 90% of the store’s energy needs, the news release stated. And the store meets EPA GreenChill Gold standards for sustainable refrigeration, using only non-ozone-depleting refrigerants.

The store also raised nearly $50,000 for local food banks in 2024 through ShopRite’s annual ShopRite Partners in Caring Cheerios contest that is sponsored by General Mills.

In the interview, Kinsley said the contest was made up of different categories including fundraising, a display of General Mills products, a cake decorating contest, and the use of Cheerios. The money was raised through a golf tournament, Kinsley said, which made them the top fundraiser in the contest.

The cake decorating contest was spearheaded by Kathy Lockwitch, the manager of the bakery and the third longest serving employee at the store. She comes up with the theme each year, Kinsley said.

“She does quite the job,” he said about her displays for the contest. “It’s really neat to see. It was huge.”

The theme of the display in 2024 was Harvesting Hope and featured sunflowers with a farm-to-factory scene. This year’s entry will be displayed at 1 p.m. on April 24, and Kinsley invites the community to come see it.

As a winner of the Exceptional Grocer Award, ShopRite of Brodheadsville was able to feature four associates on 100,000 boxes of Cheerios. The boxes are exclusive to ShopRite stores.

“Not many people get to be on a box of Cheerios,” Kinsley said.

The associates on the boxes are Maria Lastovickova and Amanda Reinhard, both cake decorators in the bakery; Diane Mayo, a cashier; and Steve Schoch, an assistant store manager.