US supercentre retail chain Meijer has announced a donation of $500,000 to Henry Ford's public charter high school, the Henry Ford Academy, Michigan, to support its Farm to School initiative.

The academy partners with a dozen local farms and organisations to offer its students in-season locally-grown food every day.

Meijer director of community partnerships and giving Melissa Conway explained: "We recognise the value of partnering with local farmers and fostering sustainable relationships that benefit both our customers and our community.

“We are excited to be part of this important initiative, focused on the health and nutrition of their academy students."

Meijer works with hundreds of local growers and is reportedly one of the largest purchasers of fruits and vegetables in its six-state footprint. Those relationships put $100m back into the local economy each year while guaranteeing a secure supply of locally grown products for customers.

Meijer chief executive Hank Meijer commented: “We partner with several family farms spanning multiple generations – relationships my grandfather and father began nearly 90 years ago.”

The retailer recently opened two new advanced supercentres in Northeast Ohio which stock 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce and 150 US Department of Agriculture-certified organic items.

Meijer currently operates more than 500 supercentres, grocery stores, neighbourhood markets and express locations throughout the Midwest.