SACRAMENTO, CA - As our industry continues to rally together to help communities tackle food insecurity and lack of access to nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, The Raley’s Companies has once again taken part in FirstFruits Farms’ Take a Bite Out of Hunger initiative. Two of the chain’s grocery divisions—Arizona- and New Mexico-based Bashas’ and California- and Nevada-based Raley’s—significantly increased their annual apple donations this year to area food banks through the impactful program.

“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, Vice President 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.”

Customers at Raley’s and Bashas’ helped earn sizable donations for their communities by purchasing specially marked bags of FirstFruit Farms apples during January and February, a press release explained. Shoppers increased their apple purchases by 44 percent compared to last year, which increased this year’s donation by 44 percent as well.

Raley’s donated a total of 22,660 pounds of fresh apples to Yolo Food Bank in Woodland, California, while Bashas’ contributed a combined 35,000 pounds of fresh apples to St. Mary’s Food Bank, United Food Bank, Yuma Community Food Bank, and Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

This combined donation of nearly 58,000 pounds of apples surpassed last year’s already impressive donation of 40,000 pounds of apples.

“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 allows us to make healthy options like apples accessible to families who need them.”

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. Read more about FirstFruits’ innovative program and its impact here.

Cheers to the duo on this admirable contribution!