Raley's 'Spreads the Love' with Peanut Butter Anti-hunger Campaign

Raley’s Family of Fine Stores has kicked off a two-week campaign to stock food bank pantries with peanut butter. Running through Feb. 17, the campaign, whose partners include Raley’s Food for Families and iHeartMedia, invites customers to donate a jar of peanut butter or other nut butters to help local families in need.

All donations collected in store or online will go directly to help feed families in the community where they were made. 

“For families facing food insecurity, it can be a daily struggle just to put meals on the table, much less well-rounded ones,” said Jennie Teel-Wolter, Food for Families' development officer. “By filling our food banks with wholesome, shelf-stable protein sources like nut butters, we're not only fighting hunger, we're also helping individuals in need to stock a healthy pantry in their home.”

Peanut butter is a convenient and economical source of important nutrients like protein, fiber, magnesium and vitamins E and B-3. To a growing child, peanut butter provides energy and supports bone growth, muscle and nerve function and the immune system. 

At Sacramento’s Salvation Army, more than 6,500 jars of peanut butter are in demand at a valued donation of $11,000.

"Believe it or not, jars of peanut butter have been a staple of many of the food boxes that we distribute," said Major Ivan Wild, division commander of the Salvation Army's Del Oro division. "A campaign like 'Spread the Love' will certainly help many food assistance organizations like ours. Not only can we use the donated items, but this also allows us to allocate funds to purchase other much-needed food for our program."

Customers can make a peanut butter donation at any of the W. Sacramento, Calif.-based retailer's four banner stores, including Raley’s, Bel Air Market or Nob Hill Foods, as well as online at www.foodforfamilies.org.

Raley's operates 122 stores in northern California and Nevada. Its Food for Families program, which began in 1986, has raised more than $31 million and donated more than 24 million pounds of food to families in need. One-hundred percent of its funds go toward anti-hunger efforts, and all of its operating expenses and overhead costs are absorbed by the parent Raley’s Family of Fine Stores.