WEST SACRAMENTO, CA - Raley’s and Washington-based FirstFruits Farms donated 30,000 pounds of fresh apples to the Food Bank for Monterey County. This generous contribution was made possible by Raley’s customers who purchased select apples during January and February as part of a give-back initiative.

The apples were shared at local school distribution site, Santa Rita Elementary School as part of FirstFruits Farms’ Take a Bite Out of Hunger™ program. The program works with retailers across the nation to feature FirstFruits’ apples for consumer purchase. In turn, a percentage of these sales are used to donate produce back to local communities. Families can receive a variety of produce, including tasty and nutritious Fuji apples.

“Raley’s is proud to partner with FirstFruits Farms to provide fresh and delicious apples to individuals throughout Monterey County,” said Chelsea Carbahal, Vice President of Community Impact & Public Affairs, The Raley’s Companies, in a recent press release. “This donation will directly benefit families, providing them with delicious apples that are fresh, healthy and satisfying.”

FirstFruits created the Take a Bite out of Hunger™ campaign to help feed underserved communities, while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the United States. More than 3 million pounds of fresh apples have been donated to local food banks in the communities of retailers like Raley’s since the program’s inception in 2010.

“One in seven Americans rely on food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families. Of that, more than half experience undernourishment from not having access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Aimee Bach, Business Development Manager, FirstFruits. “FirstFruits is proud to partner with retailers like Raley’s to help their communities get one step closer to ending hunger.”

The Food Bank for Monterey County serves more than 160,000 residents throughout the county each month and distributes more than 15 million pounds of food annually.

“We are thrilled to be the recipients of this wonderful donation of apples from Raley’s and FirstFruits Farms,” said Melissa Kendrick, CEO and Executive Director, the Food Bank for Monterey County. “We serve one in four residents throughout the county and any and all contributions – certainly fresh, wholesome fruit such as this – is gratefully received and sincerely appreciated.”