New Raley's Grant Program To Benefit Smaller Sonoma County Food Banks

SONOMA COUNTY, CA—Raley's announced a new grant program on Monday to help small food banks with infrastructure such as food storage, transportation and other costly items needed to safely provide food to local communities.

Partner food banks and their supporting networks, including Redwood Empire Food Bank and its 150 partner organizations that serve Sonoma County, are encouraged to apply for the grants. Through its nonprofit, Raley's Food For Families, the grants start at a minimum of $5,000 to support the purchase of refrigerators, freezers, warehouse racking, transportation crates, shipping vehicles and any other food bank necessities.

The initiative represents an expansion of the longtime Food For Families effort made possible by Raley’s and donations from throughout the community. Each month for the past several years, donations from customers and team members have been converted by Raley’s nonprofit, Food for Families, into food for more than 2.2 million people through 12 partner food banks.

Donations to support the new grant program are now being accepted online through the Sacramento Region Community Foundation website.

"For years, Raley’s customers have provided unwavering support with their generous donations to our Food for Families program," said Chelsea Carbahal, executive director of Raley’s Food For Families. "Through experience with our ongoing programs, we recognized the need to support further the crucial food distribution needs within our existing food bank family. This new Food for Families grant program will enable our current partners to more effectively and efficiently serve their communities by equipping them with resources that otherwise may have been out of reach financially."

Grant applications are accepted through Feb. 7, with application forms provided directly to and through Raley’s Food for Families 12 Feeding America food bank partners and their expansive network of more than 2,400 partner agencies, such as smaller food banks, food closets and church distribution sites. Raley's anticipates awarding up to $500,000 in grant funding in the first year of the new program. Funding will be made available in two waves, including this current grant application phase and another scheduled for later in the year.

"Our goal at Raley’s is to help get food in the hands of as many people in need as possible," Carbahal said. "We know the food that we and our food bank partners provide is only helpful if there is a means to safely store and distribute it. This new Food for Families grant funding effort is all about growing the positive impact in our communities and helping provide the physical means to do so."

Growing from a single store opening in 1935, The Raley’s Companies now includes brick-and-mortar locations under Raley's and Bashas' family of brands, including Raley's, Bel Air, Nob Hill, Raley's ONE Market, Bashas', Food City, AJ's Fine Foods, and Bashas' Diné Markets.

Sonoma County is home to four Raley's grocery stores: Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor.

Between 2022 and 2023, The Raley's Companies organization donated more than $3 million to local and regional nonprofits. Read more at Raley’s Food for Families.