BAKERSFIELD, CA - Bolthouse Farms has been making incredible moves within the produce space after coming under new ownership. New leaders, acquisitions, and more have abounded for the company, which is now doing its part to give back to the communities that help it thrive. It recently announced the implementation of a charitable giving program in partnership with Feeding America and other local organizations to support those impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The program will offer national support through Feeding America, as well as the four communities where Bolthouse Farms has a presence: Bakersfield, Santa Monica, California; Prosser, Washington; and Hodgkins, Illinois.

"At Bolthouse Farms, our efforts during this pandemic started with taking care of our employees' health and well-being first, and we are proud to do what we can to extend that to the communities in which we live, work, and play as well as across the nation," said Jeff Dunn, CEO. "Food banks across the country are seeing dramatic usage increases and healthcare workers are working in overdrive to keep up with the demands brought by the coronavirus pandemic. As a company that produces fresh and healthy food, we have a unique opportunity to make a difference and help feed those in need during these challenging times."

According to a press release, Bolthouse Farms moved quickly at the beginning of the pandemic to purchase food and other essentials for its employees and their families to ensure they had healthy, nutritious food and to help remove the stress of grocery shopping after work hours.

By extending its efforts to those in the Bolthouse Farms communities and around the country, the company has stepped up in the following ways:

• Feeding America Employee Matching Donation Program –Partnering with Feeding America to launch a matching monetary donation program. For each dollar any Bolthouse Farms employee donates, the company will match dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000. Additionally, CEO Jeff Dunn will personally match each dollar-for-dollar up to another $20,000 thereby tripling each employee's donation. Thus far, the company has already raised $8,800
• Local Food Bank Carrot Donations – Donating a full truckload of carrots—the equivalent of 25,000 meals—to each of the food banks in the communities surrounding its facilities: Community Action Partnership of Kern or Bakersfield, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank for Santa Monica and the Greater Chicago Food Depository for Hodgkins and a soon to be determined food bank in the Prosser, Washington, area
• Pop-up Grocery Stores at Dignity Health Mercy Hospital in Bakersfield, California – Donating carrots, salad dressings, and an assortment of beverages twice a week and to provide a place for healthcare workers from the two locations to shop for groceries after their long shifts
• Helping Feed Families in the San Joaquin Valley – Making two donations of seven 50-pound boxes of carrots per week, to the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center (CVFRC)

The Feeding America employee donation match program began April 22. Food donations began going out to food banks the week of April 27.

As companies like Bolthouse invest in its communities to better the whole of the industry, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Bolthouse Farms