Publix Super Markets Charities has given more than $31,000 in their partnership with Junior Achievement (JA) of Georgia this year, all in an effort to help empower the next generation. Publix Super Markets Charities has maintained a storefront sponsorship in JA Finance Park at the JA Chick-fil-A Foundation Discovery Center since 2013, as well as an additional storefront space in JA Finance Park presented by Assurant at the JA Discovery Center at Gwinnett, which opened in 2015.

Their storefront offers middle school students an authentic environment where they experience their financial futures. Guided by their ‘life situation,’ students apply knowledge gained in the classroom to make routine budget decisions; ultimately, building skills to confidently navigate today’s economic environment and discovering how decisions today can impact tomorrow.

While at the Publix store, students make budgeting decisions around providing food for themselves and their families. Do they have enough room in the budget for fresh produce every week, or do they need to make compromises elsewhere to achieve a healthy diet? What is the cost difference in preparing meals at home versus eating meals out? These are just a few of the situations that volunteers help guide students through during their time in the Publix store.

Publix Super Markets Charities’ support of JA’s learning solutions goes beyond their storefront sponsorships in the metro-Atlanta area. The grant funding supports learning solutions across multiple regions in the state, including the Southern Coastal, Northwest, Northeast and West Central Georgia areas, to help JA serve more than 172,000 students annually.