Stater Bros. Charities Donates Food to Local Banks

SAN BERNARDINO >> During summer months, food banks experience decreases in food reserves just as the school year comes to a close and many children lose access to the regular meals at school that supply key nutrients for healthy diets. As part of the “Harvesting Hope in the Summer” campaign, Stater Bros. is bolstering food reserves to local food banks by donating more than 400,000 pounds of healthy and nutritious food items. The “Harvesting Hope in the Summer” campaign is an extension of Stater Bros. ongoing efforts to give back to the valued communities Stater Bros. is privileged to serve. For more than 80 years, during the months of November and December, Stater Bros.' “valued” customers participated in the “Bag of Hope” customer participation program. Customers purchased virtual “Bag of Hope” donation cards at checkout stands. Each virtual “Bag of Hope” represented a bag filled with nutrient packed items including: tuna, green beans, instant oatmeal, potatoes, apples, carrots and corn for distribution to local food banks during the summer months when food bank donations typically decrease. “At Stater Bros., we don’t just do business in the community, we are part of the community,” said Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. executive chairman. “The ‘Harvesting Hope in the Summer’ campaign helps to give our local food pantries and the valued communities they serve some extra help when it’s needed the most." The following food banks will be receiving food from Stater Bros. Charities through the “Harvesting Hope” in the Summer Campaign: The Salvation Army of Riverside County at 117,154 pounds; Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County at 97,626 pounds; FIND Food Bank at 61,491 pound; San Diego Food Bank at 35,790 pounds; The Salvation Army of San Bernardino County at 35,790 pounds; Feeding America at 35,157 pounds; Desert Manna at 8,776 pounds; Community Action Partnership of Kern County at 8,776 pounds. In addition, Stater Bros. Markets annually donates more than three million pounds of unsold items that are fit for consumption to local food banks on an ongoing basis.