In It for the Long Haul: A Sweepstakes for a Century of Thank-Yous

On July 15, we're kicking off a campaign worthy of a 100th anniversary celebration. The In It for the Long Haul Sweepstakes is both a nod to 100 years of IGA and an opportunity for all member stores of the Independent Grocers Alliance to share their stories with shoppers, giving independents the spotlight they've earned.

Whether your store is newer, operates under a family banner rather than the IGA name, or is a legacy store with IGA in the name, you're proudly part of a network that's supported independent grocers for 100 years. 

Keep reading for details and how your shoppers can participate.

What's Launching July 15

Starting next week, shoppers can enter for a chance to win:

• $100 a day instant-win cash prizes, all summer long.
• A grand prize of $5,000 to put toward groceries — enough to last a family months.

The sweepstakes runs through September 8, 2026, made possible by a lineup of national sponsors: Coca-Cola, Gold Peak, vitaminwater, Powerade, smartwater, the Pork Board, Kleenex, Huggies, Ziploc, Glade, Off!, Aussie Beef, Kingsford, and Hidden Valley Ranch.

The above banner can be used by stores to promote the sweepstakes. 

Why We're Doing This

A hundred years in, IGA is still standing for the same thing it always has: grocers who show up for their communities, and the neighbors who need them.

This sweepstakes is our way of saying thank you to the shoppers who have kept that model alive, one visit at a time. And it's your way of saying it, too.

The entry happens digitally, on the shopper's own phone, no purchase necessary, so your role isn't running the sweepstakes, but rather making sure your shoppers know it exists. A sign by the check stand, a quick mention while ringing someone up: "Have you entered our $100-a-day giveaway yet?" That's what turns a quiet transaction into a conversation.

And once you have their attention, use it. Tell them what their loyalty actually means to a store like yours. Tell them where that money they spend goes: back into local jobs, local shelves, local decisions. That's the story a national chain can't tell, because it isn't true for them the way it's true for you.

What You Can Do Right Now

Every IGA retailer has a role to play in telling this story locally:

• Thank your shoppers. Use the sweepstakes as the opening line for a bigger conversation about what keeps your doors open.
• Say the quiet part out loud. Customers don't always think about where their grocery dollars go. Tell them.
• Show up in the feed. Tag posts with #IGA100, #InItForTheLongHaul, and #America250. This year, the two milestones are telling one story together. Next week, we'll share social media resources you can customize to tell your story.

Resources to Help You Tell It

We've put together a kit so you're not starting from scratch:

• A full suite of downloadable digital assets: social graphics and web banners, all with the complete sponsor lockup pre-applied and ready to customize with your store name.
• In-store signage, available two ways: download and print yourself, or order for direct delivery to your store.

Above, a social media graphic your store can use for the In It for the Long Haul Sweepstakes.

Both are built to help you promote the sweepstakes and tell your own version of the long-haul story, because the next hundred years start with the same thing the first hundred did: a grocer who shows up.