Project Feed First Responders

Origins:

At Smart & Final, a warehouse grocery store that carries both club and traditional-sized items, we’re passionate about providing for those who provide for others. The charitable arm of Smart & Final and 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, is committed to improving the quality of life and nourishing the communities it serves. The foundation aids nonprofit organizations impacting issues such as Health & Wellness, Education, Hunger Relief, Team Sports & Youth Development, and Disaster Relief.

In the early months of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Smart & Final and the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation teamed up to create Project Feed First Responders, an effort to ensure first responders and medical workers had the food and supplies they needed.

We’re proud to have made a big impact through donations and partnerships that provided food, supplies and community support to the frontline first responders and medical workers helping others.

Contribution:

Together, Smart & Final and the Foundation outreached to its network of business customers, community organizations and nonprofit partners to identify the best ways to support providers in need.

The Project Feed First Responders program included monetary and product donations by the Foundation, including masks and gloves, and fully stocking the pantries of several fire stations. 

The Foundation also turned to Smart & Final to help frontline medical workers by partnering with some of the warehouse grocer’s top restaurant customers, providing them business during a challenging time, and hiring them to cater meals for hospital workers across California.

Also, in May, change canisters located at Smart & Final store registers were branded and dedicated to first responder relief. 

Objectives:

Project Feed First Responders was developed to utilize the reach and investment of Smart & Final warehouse grocery stores with the relationships and purpose of the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, in order to ensure first responders in California, Arizona and Nevada had the food and the supplies they needed during the early and most challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic. We set out to make a big impact through donations and partnerships that could also raise awareness to the work of the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation and show Smart & Final shoppers and associates that we care.

Impact:

Under the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation pillar of disaster relief and to help with COVID-19 relief efforts, in total, the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation donated more than $170k to nonprofit organizations, including Feeding America partner food banks, Olive Crest, City of Hope, Caterina’s Club and various community organizations requesting funds through its online donation platform. This included cash donations, food and supplies. It also included supporting 26 food pantries, feeding 300 firefighters for a month, and providing over 20,000 units of personal protective equipment (PPE) items to workers on the front lines.

Through Smart & Final’s efforts of hiring 11 restaurant customers to provide meals at 12 hospitals and fire station locations, we fed 4,000 frontline employees. A total of $65,000 raised through Smart & Final’s in-store change canisters went directly to the Foundation’s COVID-19 relief efforts and the first responders on the front lines.

Additionally, in partnership with the Dodgers, Dodgers Foundation and iHeartRadio, we also provided relief to vulnerable Angelenos during COVID-19. The Smart & Final Charitable Foundation donated 10,000+ bottles of water, 500 bags of apples and 500 bags of oranges to the Dodgers and Dodgers Foundation COVID-19 relief efforts.

Quote:

“We are fortunate to have been able to make a greater impact in our community during a time of need and growing uncertainty. Smart & Final and the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation’s efforts are unparalleled in their level of dedication, compassion and servant leadership to serving first responders.” -Dave Hirz, Smart & Final President & CEO

Support Statement:

“Thank you all for your compassion and care in facilitating the food donation through Smart & Final. 200 meals via the Watts Coffee House will be delivered for our night shift tomorrow. Everyone will be thrilled! It truly takes a village and it's so nice to know we have friends in you.” – Lisa, Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital

“Everyone was so thankful and appreciative for the food delivered. The JMC 6th floor ICU was so slammed that I delivered the food right to their breakroom. It was great to see that your kindness of donating food spread the kindness around us!  Thank you so much!”  - Kerry A. McCullough, Experience Transformation Coach, UC San Diego