In late 2022, the Save Mart Companies hosted a “Friends Feeding Friends” food drive to help provide low-income families with shelf-stable, healthy food.

Thursday, the Central California Food Bank in Fresno received more than 12,000 pounds of food including peanut butter, pasta, sauce, tuna, fruit packets and more that will create more than 14,500 meals.

“We had an incredible engagement from the FoodMaxx shoppers as well as the Save Mart shoppers,” said Scott Bourbon, vice president of operations at FoodMaxx, one of the Save Mart Companies. “As a result we’re here today donating a truckload of healthy, shelf-stable food for the community.”

Bourbon added that even following the holidays, Valley residents face food insecurity year-round. The company hopes that through its donations they are able to further help neighbors struggling with food insecurity.

Despite being located in a produce hub, the Central California Food Bank puts a heavy focus on foods with a longer shelf life.

 

“It makes it easier for our member partners, especially our school sites who don’t [always] have refrigeration, to be able to meet the need at a location where the children already are,” said Central California Food Bank co-CEO Kym Dildine. “The food itself is super accessible and it compliments everything else that we do.”

The donations will be deployed through the food bank’s child feeding program, which distributes essential products directly to children through a backpack program and choice pantries.

Dildine added that the means of food distribution are often determined by the nature of the location. She said the food will be given out quickly and will be replenished through the organization’s partnership with Save Mart and its brands.

“We feed over 300,000 neighbors every single month and there’s over 500 unique distributions every single month,” Dildine said. “This food is not going to last long; it’s going to be deployed quick and on dinner tables right here in Central California soon.”