Join Ralphs and Food 4 Less to Help Reduce Hunger in Our Communities

LOS ANGELES, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs Grocery Company and Food 4 Less Stores, subsidiaries of The Kroger Co., are inviting customers to help the hungry in our communities by Bringing Hope to the Table^®. This Kroger-wide initiative runs from May 29, through June 11, 2011.

With the help of numerous vendor partners, Bringing Hope to the Table is expected generate $5 million in financial support and food donations to help more than 80 food banks in communities where Ralphs, Food 4 Less and Kroger customers and associates live and work. These food banks are members of Feeding America^®, the nation's largest hunger-relief organization.

Southern California food banks benefiting from the Bringing Hope to the Table campaign are: Feeding America San Diego; FIND (Indio); Food Bank of Santa Barbara County; Food Share (Oxnard); Los Angeles Regional Foodbank; Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County; and Second Harvest Food Bank Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

"Food banks and hunger agencies are facing unprecedented demand. More Americans struggle from hunger each year and the numbers are growing. Through Bringing Hope to the Table, our customers, associates and vendor partners can drive funds to local food banks to help hungry people who are our neighbors," said Mike Donnelly, President of Ralphs.

Ralphs and Food 4 Less have been helping local food banks serve the hungry for more than 20 years. In 2010, the two supermarket chains combined to donate more than $4 million in financial support and food donations to local food banks.

Bringing Hope to the Table is part of Ralphs and Food 4 Less' year-round commitment to fighting hunger in our communities. In 2008, Ralphs and Food 4 Less also launched a food rescue program – the Perishable Donations Partnership (PDP) – which allows the supermarket chains' stores to donate fresh meat, produce, dairy and bakery items that can no longer be sold.

The PDP provides nutritious food to food banks that are able to handle it safely. Nearly four million pounds of the food donated by Ralphs and Food 4 Less in 2010 came from this program.

Customers can learn more about local hunger relief volunteer opportunities and receive valuable coupons from some of their favorite brands by visiting www.bringinghopetothetable.com.

About Ralphs:

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 252 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

About Food 4 Less:

Food 4 Less operates 147 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois, Indiana and Nevada, and Foods Co in Northern California, from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Food 4 Less is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest grocery retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information about Food 4 Less, please visit our website at www.food4less.com.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company