Ralphs Customers Can Support Local Food Banks Through Grocery Purchases
LOS ANGELES, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its continued commitment
to fighting hunger in the local community, Ralphs Grocery Company is
helping to mark National Hunger Awareness Day on June 6th through "Bringing
Hope to the Table," a two-week campaign to raise funds and product
donations to assist local food banks.
The promotion, which begins May 31 at Ralphs and other Kroger-family
stores across the country, will generate $3 million in cash and $1 million
in food donations for America's Second Harvest network -- the nation's
largest domestic hunger relief agency. A number of key manufacturers are
partnering with Kroger to bring this vital support to local food banks
serving Southern California and other communities where Kroger has
operations.
"Ralphs has a firm commitment to give back to the communities that our
customers and associates call home," said Dave Hirz, president of Ralphs.
"As a major grocer serving Southern California, we're especially pleased to
support the fight against hunger right here in our community."
During the promotion, each time a Ralphs customer purchases an eligible
item, contributions to America's Second Harvest-affiliated food banks in
Southern California will increase. Participating items will be clearly
marked with pink "Bringing Hope to the Table" shelf tags, including
products made by Kellogg(R), Coca-Cola(R), ConAgra(R), Nestle(R),
Edy's/Dreyers(R), and a number of brands represented by Acosta Sales and
Marketing.
Southern California food banks benefiting from the "Bringing Hope to
the Table" promotion are: FINDS Inc (Cathedral City), Food Bank of Santa
Barbara County, Food Share (Oxnard), Los Angeles Regional Foodbank, San
Diego Food Bank, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, and Second
Harvest Food Bank Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
Ralphs, along with other Kroger company stores, has been at the
forefront of the fight against hunger for more than 25 years. In the past
five years, the Kroger family of stores has donated more than 135 million
pounds of food and groceries, valued at more than $200 million.
America's Second Harvest is the largest charitable domestic
hunger-relief organization in the country with a network of more than 200
member food banks and food-rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest network
secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and
grocery products annually.
In 2005, the Second Harvest network helped feed 25 million Americans,
including 9 million children and 3 million senior citizens. More than 35%
of the households seeking assistance had at least one employed adult.
Roughly 40% of those who received help reported having to choose between
purchasing food and paying for other basic necessities including rent,
utilities and medicines. To learn more about the scope of hunger in
America, visit http://www.secondharvest.org.
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 283
supermarkets in California from its headquarters in Los Angeles. In 2005,
through its customers, associates, company and foundation, Ralphs
contributed more than $12 million to communities where its customers and
associates live and work. For more information about Ralphs, please visit
our website at http://www.ralphs.com.
Ralphs is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE: KR), one of the nation's
largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the end of fiscal
2005, the Company operated (either directly or through its subsidiaries)
2,507 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen
local banners including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Food 4 Less, King
Soopers, Smith's and Smith's Marketplace, Fry's and Fry's Marketplace,
Dillons, QFC and City Market. Kroger also operated (either directly or
through subsidiaries, franchise agreements, or operating agreements) 791
convenience stores, 428 fine jewelry stores, 579 supermarket fuel centers
and 42 food-processing plants. For more information about Kroger, visit
http://www.kroger.com.
SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company
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Related links:
http://www.kroger.com
http://www.ralphs.com http://www.secondharvest.org
CONTACT:
Terry O'Neil, +1-310-884-4680, for Ralphs
Grocery Company
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