Two grocery divisions that operate as part of The Raley’s Companies – Bashas’, which has stores in Arizona and New Mexico, and Raley’s, with stores in California and Nevada – increased their annual apple donations by 44 percent to area food banks through FirstFruits Farms’ Take a Bite Out of Hunger initiative.
Raley’s delivered 22,660 pounds of fresh apples to Yolo Food Bank in Woodland, California, while Bashas’ contributed a combined 35,000 pounds to St. Mary’s Food Bank, United Food Bank, Yuma Community Food Bank and Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
The two divisions’ 58,000-pound apple donation surpassed last year’s gift of 40,000 pounds.
Customers at Raley’s and Bashas’ helped raise the donations by buying special, marked bags of FirstFruit Farms apples during January and February. Shoppers increased their apple purchases by 44 percent over last year, which also lifted this year’s total by the same figure.
Through its annual Take a Bite Out of Hunger campaign, FirstFruits Farms aims to feed underserved families while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the U.S. The two grocery divisions are long-time supporters of the initiative; Raley’s has been involved since the program began in 2010, and Bashas’ has participated since 2018.
“Ensuring the communities we serve have access to quality nutrition is part of our mission every day, so extending that mindset by supporting local food banks is a natural extension of our business,” said Chelsea Carbahal, VP of community impact and public affairs for The Raley’s Companies.
“We appreciate the opportunity to align with organizations like FirstFruits that share our community focus and make our giving even more impactful.”
Since Take a Bite Out of Hunger’s inception in 2010, more than 2.5 million pounds of fresh apples have been donated in participating retailers’ names to local food banks in their communities.
“Every community in the country is home to families who face hunger,” said Aimee Peters, business development manager of FirstFruits Farms.
“Even as more families face economic hardship, access to nutritious, well-balanced food shouldn’t have to be a sacrifice. Teaming up with community-minded grocery stores allow us to make healthy options like apples accessible to families who need them.”
About The Raley’s Companies
The Raley’s Companies is a private, family-owned retail company headquartered in West Sacramento, California.
Since its founding in 1935, the grocer’s store operations have grown to include more than 235 locations across four states and four Tribal Nations under eight banners: Raley’s, Bel Air, Nob Hill Foods, Raley’s O-N-E Market, Bashas’, Food City, AJ’s Fine Foods and Bashas’ Diné Market.
Read more independent store news from The Shelby Report.
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