Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino Receives $60,000 Grant From Albertsons Vons, Pavilions Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors and O Organics® to Tackle Summer Food Insecurity 

(Riverside, CA – July 9, 2024) Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) received a $60,000 grant from Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Program to combat hunger during the summer months and after school hours when school-aged children face higher rates of food insecurity. The grant is part of the “Fight Hunger, Serve Hope” initiative from the grocer’s private label brand O Organics and will be used towards FARSB’s Grab n’ Go program.

“We’re excited to partner with Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions Foundation to help improve nutrition among low-income children and families, especially during the summer and after school hours when they are most vulnerable,” said Carolyn Fajardo, CEO at FARSB. “Together with the Foundation, we’ll continue to tackle the ongoing food insecurity issues in our community.”

This grant will help fund the Grab n’ Go program, which distributes monthly food boxes to school district sites throughout the Inland Empire to ensure all children have access to nutritious meals. During the summer, FARSB partners with four school districts in Hemet, Moreno Valley, Redlands, and Rialto. This will make a larger impact in the community during summer break as many children who would normally have access to free meals on weekdays, have a higher rate of food insecurity. 

“At Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions, we are committed to making a difference in the lives of children facing food insecurity, and we’re pleased to partner with FARSB to fund grants dedicated to providing healthy meals for at-risk youth throughout the summer,” said Kevin Curry, Division President of Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions. “Nourishing Neighbors, together with partners like FARSB, is making our neighborhoods better for children in need.”

O Organics has donated a total of $7 million in 2024 to the Nourishing Neighbors Program to fund grants dedicated to enhancing school breakfasts, providing weekend breakfast food, backpack programs with food to take home, summer breakfast meals, and many other breakfast-related programs. This follows a 2023 donation of $7 million to fund similar grants for at-risk youth.

Nourishing Neighbors is a charitable program of the Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions Foundation. The program aims to eradicate hunger in America by keeping food banks stocked and supporting meal distribution programs at schools. In 2023, along with the national Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company contributed over $200 million in food and financial support, including over $40 million through the Nourishing Neighbors Program, to ensure at-risk children, adults, seniors, and families have access to the food they need to thrive.