After raising $30.2 million since 2014 to transform the lives of 200,000 children in need, Albertsons Companies and Albertsons Companies Foundation are once again teaming up with their customers across the country to help make sure every kid starts the day with a healthy breakfast.
Through the end of September, Albertsons Cos. stores will raise money through Hunger Is to battle childhood hunger. Shoppers at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Star Market, Tom Thumb, Randalls, ACME, and other Albertsons Cos. stores can donate at checkout to this important cause. All donations stay in the communities in which they’re raised, helping local hunger relief programs.
“The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Feed Our Kids. Fuel Our Future.’ It reflects the promise that an investment in children’s nutrition and health is an investment in the future of our communities,” Albertsons Cos. Foundation President and Executive Director Christy Duncan Anderson.
The Need
Partnering with Albertsons Cos. on this important effort are 146 food banks, pantries, and other charities that will receive Hunger Is grants to ensure that local kids start the day with a healthy meal. Each store adopts one of their local charities and focuses its efforts on that organization’s specific needs.
For example, several stores in Idaho are supporting the Idaho Foodbank Warehouse, Inc.’s Backpack and School Pantry programs. The Backpack program provides public school students with weekend backpacks full of food so the kids can eat consistently throughout weekends, while the School Pantry program serves students and their families with full-service pantries on school grounds.
The Impact
Since the 2014 inception of Hunger Is, the generosity of customers and supporters have helped Albertsons Companies and Albertsons Companies Foundation make the following dramatic and lasting impact on childhood hunger in America:
- $30.2 million raised and donated to hunger relief programs across the United States
- 77 million breakfasts made possible for kids in need
- 200,000 kids’ lives touched each year
- 281 organizations and food banks awarded Hunger Is grants to connect children to healthy food in their communities
Organizations receiving Hunger Is funds are chosen by stores in cooperation with the Hunger Is Advisory Committee (HIAC) and Albertsons Companies Foundation. The HIAC is comprised of leaders from the most respected hunger advocacy organizations in the U.S. including Feeding America, Food Research & Action Center, Hunger Free America, Share Our Strength, and WhyHunger.
The Hunger Is initiative is part of Albertsons Cos.’s long-standing commitment to hunger relief. In the last four years, the company has donated nearly $1 billion in food to food banks and other hunger relief agencies, expanding their standing as one of the biggest retail supporters of hunger relief in the country. These donations were in addition to hundreds of tons of food contributed through local and regional food drives.
