SF Marin Food Bank’s Chief Philanthropy Officer Chris Padula discusses the importance of the “Nourishing Neighbors” campaign.
Annual Holiday Food Campaign from November 18 to December 25 at 167 Bay Area Safeway Stores
SAN JOSE, CA – November 13, 2023 – NBC Bay Area / KNTV and Telemundo 48 Área de la Bahía / KSTS, in partnership with Safeway, today announced the launch of the 14th Annual Nourishing Neighbors campaign, a seasonal initiative aimed at addressing food insecurity in the Bay Area. This annual campaign will run from November 18 to December 25, 2023, across 167 Safeway stores in the Bay Area and benefits Bay Area Food Banks – a coalition of seven food banks serving 11 Northern California counties.
In the face of persistent challenges, Bay Area communities are continuing to grapple with high levels of food insecurity. The rollback of CalFresh benefits, coupled with the high costs of housing, gas, utilities, and childcare, have all put a strain on residents needing help to make ends meet in one of the nation's most expensive areas. Demand for local food banks' services is hitting levels not seen since the pandemic started as more Bay Area neighbors are turning to them for support. The Nourishing Neighbors campaign addresses this pressing concern by encouraging community members to contribute to the cause.
During the Nourishing Neighbors campaign, patrons of Safeway and Andronico’s stores can make a difference by donating $10 at any of the 167 participating locations. Shoppers can conveniently remove a flyer from the tear pads at the registers to facilitate their donation. The accumulated funds will be utilized to purchase essential food items and subsequently distributed to local food banks to benefit families facing food insecurity.
"We are pleased to launch the 14th Annual Nourishing Neighbors food drive, a testament to the power of community collaboration," said Stacy Owen, President and General Manager of NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48. "Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Safeway, our local food banks, and the shoppers who, year after year, join us in this endeavor. Together, we are making a tangible difference in the lives of those facing food insecurity, and we believe in moving the community forward, one meal at a time."
“As the need for food assistance continues to grow, Safeway is proud to partner with NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48 to support local food banks across the Bay Area, “said Karl Schroeder, Division President of Safeway Northern California. “We are committed to reducing food insecurity and nourishing our neighbors in need during the holidays and throughout the year. We are grateful for the generous support of our customers and employees who make this initiative possible, and we are honored to be part of this collaborative effort.”
Local
Last year's Nourishing Neighbors holiday campaign, a joint effort by NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48, and Safeway, yielded remarkable results. Over $4.4 million was raised, equivalent to providing over 8.9 million meals to those in need. The success of the 2022 campaign underscores the impact that community collaboration can have in addressing critical issues such as food insecurity.
“Across the Bay Area, many of our neighbors are heading into the holiday season with less support than they have had in years. With higher prices and reduced CalFresh support, more working families, college students, seniors and individuals are struggling to make ends meet in this expensive area,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. “For 14 years, the Nourishing Neighbors campaign has helped galvanize our community to support our neighbors facing food insecurity. We are so grateful for the unwavering commitment of Safeway, NBC Bay Area, Telemundo 48, and everyone in the community who has supported Nourishing Neighbors and the work of Bay Area food banks so everyone can experience a full plate at the holidays.”
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About NBC Bay Area / KNTV
Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC Bay Area/KNTV is the Bay Area’s investigative station located in the heart of Silicon Valley. The mission of NBC Bay Area is to reflect the communities it serves and support its viewers through solution-based journalism that moves the community forward. The station addresses the Bay Area’s most pressing issues across all platforms, featuringthe Investigative Unit and NBC Bay Area Responds. NBC Bay Area can be seen locally on Comcast 3 and 703 and over-the-air on 11 as well as streaming platforms NBCBayArea.com, Peacock, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus and Xumo Play.
About Telemundo 48 / KSTS
Telemundo 48 / KSTS is Telemundo’s local television station serving the Spanish-speaking community throughout the Bay Area. Owned by NBCUniversal, the station is committed to providing viewers with braking news and in-depth journalism with their award-winning team of reporters, offering the most up-to-date local news, weather, sports and entertainment headlines through a variety of platforms, including online at TelemundoAreadelaBahia.com and via mobile and social media channels. The station can be seen locally on Comcast 18 and 718 and over-the-air on 48. TeleXitos, the station’s multicast network, offers exciting action and adventure programming in Spanish. TeleXitos can be seen locally on Comcast 194 and 1198 and over-the-air on 48.2.
About Safeway
Safeway is one of the most well-recognized grocery retail brands with a long-standing reputation for quality and service, proudly serving Northern California since 1926. Today, the company operates over 285 stores across Northern California, Nevada, and Hawaii, under four banners, including Andronico’s, Safeway, Pak N’ Save, and Vons.. In 2022, the Safeway Northern California Division donated over $27 million in food and financial support to charitable organizations in the communities it serves. Safeway is a division of Albertsons Companies.
About Bay Area Food Banks
Bay Area Food Banks is a collaboration of independent nonprofit food banks serving northern California counties. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, BAFB collectively served 840,000 adults, seniors and children each month through nearly 1,600 food pantries, children’s programs, shelters, soup kitchens, residential programs, and other emergency food providers.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
NBC Bay Area & Telemundo 48 – Liza Catalan 408-234-9540 liza.catalan@nbcuni.com
Safeway – Wendy Gutshall 925-467-3523 wendy.gutshall@safeway.com
Alameda County Community Food Bank - Mike Altfes 510-635-3663 ext. 330 maltfest@accfb.org
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano - Krystine Dinh (925) 917-6835 kdinh@foodbankccs.org
Redwood Empire Food Bank - Rachelle Mesheau 707-523-7900 ext. 113 rmesheau@refb.org
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank - Keely Hopkins 415-792-8346 khopkins@sfmfoodbank.org
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley - Diane Baker Hayward 408-266-8866 ext.368 dbakerhayward@shfb.org
Community Action of Napa Valley – Lisa DeRose-Hernandez (707) 253-6100 Ext. 112 lisa.derose@can-v.org www.canv.org
