MORGANTOWN, W.Va. –  Kroger has announced that it has more than 1,500 immediate openings in stores across West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.

The Mid-Atlantic division of Kroger already has hired more than 500 associates to help keep up with current demands, including individuals from hard-hit industries like restaurant and hospitality.

Nationwide, The Kroger Family of Companies has recently jobs to more than 23,500 workers nationwide. The chain plans to hire an additional 20,000 workers during the upcoming weeks to help it continue to provide fresh food and supplies to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our top priority continues to be uplifting our associates and serving our communities when they need us the most, whether that’s by ensuring customers always can find food and products on our shelves or by providing a nearly immediate job opportunity to help an unemployed person to begin working again,” Allison McGee, Corporate Affairs Manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic explained. “We are incredibly proud of our associates who have played such a vital role in ensuring our communities continue to operate during this time of uncertainty, and we are committed to remaining a constant.”

Kroger has implemented an expedited hiring process to shorten the time between application and employment. The onboarding process for new hires is said to only be an average of 72 hours. Kroger officials explained that human resources leaders within the company are working to quickly interview and recruit new employees.

Additionally, Kroger announced that it will be forming partnerships with local, regional and national businesses to help create a shared-resource model. This will allow employees to temporarily flex into Kroger roles, to help ensure that the food supply chain continues with minimal disruption.

Current partners include Frisch’s, Marriott International, McLane Foodservice, Shamrocks Food, Sodexo, SodexoMAGIC, Sysco, Thunderdome Restaurant Group, U.S. Foods and V.F. Corporation.

Kroger has also been taking steps to keep customers safe by putting an emphasis on senior-friendly shopping hours and curb side pick-up options.

Those who are interested in applying to these open positions can do so by clicking here.