In the run-up to the start of the District’s 5-cent disposable bag fee, city leaders put out the word to area grocery stores and other retailers and organizations that they needed donations of free reusable bags. D.C.’s poorest residents would need help getting their hands on bags that they can reuse, which often cost $1 or more to purchase.

Businesses responded to the call for bag donations in a variety of ways. Giant Food stores gave out approximately 250,000 free bags to anyone who made a purchase during the first week of January. CVS partnered with the District Department of the Environment to distribute 112,000 free reusable bags at their D.C. locations. Harris Teeter gave out a free bag with every purchase of $20 or more during the entire month of January. And Safeway, in a more modest but still appreciated gesture, offered to give 10,000 bags to a couple of local non-profits that could then distribute them to the neediest communities.

But despite pledging a small number of free bags compared to other major retailers, Safeway has yet to deliver on its promise.

Over four months ago, Safeway asked the office of bag fee champion and Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells to put them in touch with some appropriate non-profits to which they could hand off some bags. Wells’ office did just that, identifying Bread for the City and Groundwork Anacostia. Staff at both groups then began working with regional Safeway spokesperson Craig Muckle to arrange to get the bags. But days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, and still, no bags. Phone calls and emails started to go unreturned, according to employees and both organizations.

“Things just kind of went mute,” said Groundwork Anacostia executive director Dennis Chestnut. “I’ve actually given up trying to follow-up with Safeway at this point.”

“We keep sort of hearing, oh yeah yeah yeah totally, but phone calls aren’t being returned,” said Bread for the City spokesperson Greg Bloom.