SAN JOSE, CA – (January 11, 2023) – NBC Bay Area / KNTV, Telemundo 48 Área de la Bahía / KSTS, and Safeway today announced that over $4.4 million was raised to fight hunger in its 2022 Nourishing Neighbors holiday food drive campaign. The donation, equivalent to over 8.9 million meals, will benefit Bay Area Food Banks – a collaboration of seven food banks serving 11 Northern California counties, which serve over 840,000 Bay Area residents monthly.
The 13th annual Nourishing Neighbors campaign, a month-long initiative dedicated to helping Bay Area communities facing food insecurity, took place at 161 Safeway locations throughout Northern California from Oct. 5 to Dec. 25, 2022.
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“As the cost of food continues to rise, we hope these funds will bring some much-needed relief for our local food banks and help move our communities forward,” said Stacy Owen, President and General Manager of NBC Bay Area and Telemundo 48. “We are grateful to our many volunteers that helped spread the word, our partnership with Safeway, and their generous shoppers who donated.”
"We are once again amazed at our customers generous contributions and store teams coming together in support of this great cause," said Karl Schroeder, Division President of Safeway Northern California. “Together with partners like NBC Bay Area, Telemundo and local food banks, Nourishing Neighbors is making our neighborhoods better for our most vulnerable community members. We are honored to be a part of this tradition to address the ongoing food insecurity issues in our community."
Throughout the 2022 campaign, Safeway shoppers generously made $10 contributions by simply removing a Nourishing Neighbors flyer from the tear pads located at the checkout registers and donated. Last year, the Nourishing Neighbors food drive collected over $4 million, amounting to over 8.9 million meals for those in need.
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“We are so grateful to our friends at NBC Bay Area, Telemundo and Safeway for this incredible show of support for Bay Area food banks and the people we serve. It’s wonderful to see so many in our community participate in the campaign and donate funds that will truly help nourish our neighbors,” said Leslie Bacho, CEO of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley. “The need for food assistance is on the rise again as inflation and layoffs affect more people. Bay Area food banks will continue to be on the front lines to ensure anyone who needs nutritious food can get it.”
For more information about Nourishing Neighbors, visit NBCBayArea.com’s Nourishing Neighbors page and the Safeway Foundation.
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 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 breaking 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.
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 local 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. Learn more at www.bayareahunger.org.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
NBC Bay Area & Telemundo 48 – Jay dela Cruz & Liza Catalan
415-760-0476 jay.delacruz@nbcuni.com
408-234-9540 liza.catalan@nbcuni.com
Safeway – Wendy Gutshall
925-467-3523 wendy.gutshall@safeway.com
Second Harvest of Silicon Valley – Diane Hayward
408-921-4611 dbakerhayward@shfb.org
Redwood Empire Food Bank – Rachelle Mesheau
707-523-7900 x113 rmesheau@refb.org
Napa Valley Food Bank – Shirley King
707-363-1471 sking@can-v.org
San Francisco/Marin Food Bank – Pamela Wellner
415.730.0105 pwellner@sfmfoodbank.org
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano – Cassidie Bates
925-334-2766 cbates@foodbankccs.org
Alameda County Community Food Banks – Michael Altfest
510-684-8655 maltfest@accfb.org
