Regional supermarket chain Ingles Markets announced Friday that it would hand out its third round of cash bonuses to staff, totaling $5 million, to recognize their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grocery chain will give $300 to full-time employees and $150 to part-time associates in mid-November for all workers hired on or before July 24.

“Our associates have made a difference during this unprecedented time. We are incredibly proud of them and wish to show appreciation for their efforts,” Ingles Markets chairman Robert Ingle II said in the release.

Ingles Markets has benefitted from its status as an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company saw net sales increase 12 percent in sales year-over-year during the second quarter.

The Asheville-based supermarket chain operates nearly 200 stores across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Shares of Ingles Markets, Incorporated (IMKTA) were down 1.3 percent to $36.44 midday Friday.