Celebrating 11 Years of Nourishing Neighbors: Today, Tomorrow, and Forever

As we celebrated the 11th anniversary of Nourishing Neighbors on June 6, we took a moment to reflect on the inspiring journey and the significant strides the Albertsons Companies Foundation has made in combating hunger.Since 2014, this initiative has successfully delivered over 1.3 billion meals and contributed more than $330 million towards combating hunger.

Today: Addressing Immediate Needs

Nourishing Neighbors is a charitable program of the Foundation, dedicated to eradicating hunger in America by helping to keep food banks stocked and supporting meal distribution programs at schools. In 2024 alone, the Foundation, along with Albertsons Cos., contributed more than $435 million in food and financial support, including over $40 million through Nourishing Neighbors. This helped to ensure that at-risk children, adults, seniors and families had access to the food they needed to thrive.

One standout is the O Organics Fight Hunger, Serve Hope initiative. In 2025, Albertsons Cos.’ private label brand O Organics is contributing $5 million, equivalent to 20 million meals, to the Nourishing Neighbors program to fund grants aimed at enhancing school breakfasts, providing weekend breakfast food, backpack programs with food to take home, summer breakfast meals and many other breakfast-related initiatives. This follows a substantial total donation of $14 million, equivalent to 56 million meals over the past two years, dedicated to funding similar grants for at-risk youth.

Tomorrow: Building Sustainable Solutions

Looking ahead, the Foundation is committed to helping connect individuals to federal programs to ensure ongoing support. Federal programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women Infants and Children (WIC) and free or reduced school nutrition programs are designed to assist those in need. The Foundation partners with nonprofits to connect people to these programs by assisting with enrollment, outreach, transportation and other barriers. The Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors Nutrition Security Grants aim to support organizations working to connect qualifying recipients with federal programs. Since 2022, the Foundation has helped over 250,000 people access SNAP benefits.

Now returning for its second year, the Albertsons Cos. Foundation, in collaboration with leading non-profits, is raising awareness to increase participation in the USDA’s Summer EBT program, also known as SUN Bucks, through its SummerEBT.org campaign. This program provides $120 in grocery benefits per eligible child during the summer months to reduce child hunger when students lose access to free or reduced-price school meals. Last year, SummerEBT.org received over 228,000 visits and helped 98,000 families determine their eligibility.

Forever: Creating Lasting Impact

The Foundation is dedicated to innovative programs aimed at fostering lasting change. Explore.Act.Tell., organized by the Foundation for Impact on Literacy and Learning (FILL) and funded by Nourishing Neighbors, is a free project-based learning program that teaches middle and high school students to understand and combat food insecurity in their community. The lessons and project work well in any class, club, homeschool or community youth group. Since 2021, more than 250,000 kids have participated in the E.A.T. school anti-hunger curriculum across the country.

Another remarkable initiative is the Million Hour Volunteer Rally, started in 2024 to support organizations fighting hunger in our communities. This nationwide campaign invites customers, associates and partners to donate their time and skills to achieve a collective goal of one million volunteer hours. So far this year, $600,000 worth of volunteer hours have been generated for local organizations. Since its inception, the rally has contributed over $1 million worth of volunteer hours to nonprofits – that's equivalent to over four years of dedicated service. This initiative is a direct response to the critical shortage of volunteers faced by numerous food banks and pantries, especially as food insecurity has risen by 30%* while formal volunteering has decreased by 7%†. 

Foundation Accolades

In recognition of its efforts and following its recent win of a Gold Halo Award for Best Technology for Good Initiative through collaboration on SummerEBT.org, the Albertsons Cos. Foundation was honored with The Community Hero Award at the 2025 Goodie Awards for its best-in-class approach to granting. This recognition celebrates organizations whose transformative work makes them true heroes in their communities – even without capes. 

As we celebrate Nourishing Neighbors Day on June 6, we are reminded of the power of community and the impact of collective action. Together, we can ensure that everyone has access to the food they need to thrive today, tomorrow, and forever.

Check out Albertsons Cos.’ LinkedIn and Instagram pages this month to discover 11 interesting facts about how Nourishing Neighbors is making a positive impact in our communities.

*USDA ERS - Household Food Security in the United States in 2022

†Volunteering and Civic Life in America Research Summary