An Orange County family shelter is in line to receive donations made by customers checking out from a local grocery store in September, according to an announcement by the shelter.
The Thomas House Family Shelter has been chosen as the September partner for the Nourishing Neighbors program sponsored by the Albertsons Companies Foundation (ACF), the organization announced in a Sept. 1 Facebook post. The Vons market at 14200 Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs is the participating location for the program, according to the post.
"Nourishing Neighbors aims to fight hunger by helping to keep food banks and pantries stocked," Thomas House stated in the post, "supporting meal distribution programs at schools, and supporting programs that provide food to seniors and families."
Thomas House Family Shelter Executive Director Shakoya Green released a statement to the Coachella Valley Times in which she wrote about the importance of children starting their days with a healthy breakfast, which "improves their ability to focus, mood and memory."
the ACF began the Nourishing Neighbors program with the goal "to ensure all our communities' tables and pantries are full so that our neighbors can learn, grow, and succeed," the organization states on its website. Parent company Albertsons owns Safeway, ACME Markets, Shaw's and Star Markets, Tom Thumb, Randalls and Vons, among others, according to the website. The ACF funds programs that provide breakfast, weekend and summer meals to school kids, support food pantries and facilitate access to federal programs, the website reports.
"Breakfast is essential school supply for kids to learn, grow, and thrive," Albertsons Companies President and CEO Vivek Sankaran stated in the announcement to Coachella Valley Times.
"We're grateful to support the important work of community partners like Thomas House Family Shelter," Sankaran stated. "Together we are making our neighborhoods better places for our children to grow up."
For more than 36 years, Thomas House Family Shelter has served more than 1,600 unhoused and at-risk families with children through rent-free transitional shelter. Currently, the shelter is assisting approximately 60 families, including 150 children and youth, with food, shelter and support services and programs.
"We're thrilled to have been selected as the nonprofit partner for the Desert Hot Springs Vons," Green stated, "and are grateful to Vons Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors initiative for their ongoing commitment to fighting hunger in our communities."