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

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8, 2013 /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.

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

Beginning November 10, 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 and use a "Bringing Hope to the Table" scan card to make a monetary donation to end hunger. The scan cards, available in $1, $3 and $5 denominations, will be at checkstands and on "Bringing Hope to the Table" displays.

All donations will be given to food banks and hunger relief organizations in communities across Southern California served by Ralphs stores.

"Ralphs is committed to helping in the fight against hunger in the communities we serve," said Donna Giordano, president of Ralphs Supermarkets. "We hope these efforts will help provide some relief from food insecurity."

Food banks benefiting from this year's holiday "Bringing Hope to the Table" fundraising campaign include: Feeding America San Diego, FIND Food Bank (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.

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 3.2 million pounds of perishable foods and more than $412,000 to Southern California food banks. This represents more than 3,730,000 meals for hungry families.

About Ralphs

Ralphs Grocery Company was founded in 1873 and currently operates 230 supermarkets from its headquarters in Los Angeles. Last year, Ralphs contributed more than $6 million to support education, hunger relief, women's health and local nonprofit organizations in the communities served by the company's stores. Ralphs 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.

SOURCE Ralphs Grocery Company