Ralphs Grocery Company Brings Hope and Dollars to the Tables of Local Food Banks

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ralphs Grocery Company is inviting customers to "Bring Hope to the Table" by supporting local food banks and families in need this holiday season.

This year, Ralphs is giving its customers several ways to donate to the fight to end hunger in their communities.

Beginning November 11, 2012 and continuing through February 2, 2013, customers and Ralphs associates will be able to support local food banks by donating their spare change in collection canisters located at the checkstands in their neighborhood Ralphs supermarket.

Customers will also be able to shop at any Ralphs supermarket from November 14, 2012 through December 31, 2012 and use a "Bringing Hope to the Table" scan card to make a monetary donation to end hunger. The scan cards will be at checkstands and on special "Bringing Hope to the Table" displays located near the front entrance of each Ralphs store. The "Bringing Hope to the Table" scan cards will be available in $1, $3 and $5 denominations.

All monies collected through the checkstand canister and scan card fundraising programs will be donated to food banks and hunger relief organizations in communities across Southern California served by Ralphs stores.

"Ralphs is committed to providing continuous hunger relief efforts in the communities we serve," said Donna Giordano, president of Ralphs Supermarkets. "We hope that the fundraising efforts we are undertaking this holiday season will help provide some relief to individuals and families suffering from hunger and food insecurity."

Both the checkstand fundraising and scan card programs are part of Ralphs' "Bringing Hope to the Table" initiative that is working to reduce hunger in communities across Southern California. In addition to the checkstand fundraiser, the "Bringing Hope to the Table" initiative includes an annual cause marketing partnership with Feeding America that generated more than $200,000 for Feeding America-affiliated food banks in Southern California this year.

Ralphs' ongoing commitment to bring as much food as possible to hungry families also includes its company-wide Perishables Donations Partnership (PDP) program. The program allows fresh, wholesome food such as meat, produce and dairy products to be donated directly from Ralphs stores to local food banks that are able to safely handle perishable foods.

Ralphs has donated more than 1 million pounds of perishable foods to Southern California food banks this year. This represents more than 850,000 meals for hungry families.

About Ralphs
Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 243 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. The company is a division of The Kroger Co., (NYSE:KR), one of the nation's largest food retailers, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Last year, Ralphs provided more than $8 million in cash and in-kind donations to organizations focused on health, education, the fight against hunger, developing our youth, and the environment. For more about Ralphs, please visit our web site at www.ralphs.com.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company