LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smart & Final, the smaller, faster grocery warehouse store for household and business customers, today launched its annual campaign to raise money for pasta-related items for the 10th annual KFI PastaThon, a fundraising event organized by KFI AM 640 for Caterina’s Club. Having served over 5 million meals to date, Caterina’s Club provides warm meals, affordable housing assistance and hospitality job training for homeless youth and low-income families throughout Southern California.
To participate in the food fundraiser, shoppers at any Smart & Final or Smart & Final Extra! store can make a donation at the register during checkout. Now until December 4, for every $10 donated, Smart & Final and Barilla will provide pasta, sauce, forks, bowls and to-go containers to Caterina’s Club. Each $10 donation provides 14 meals to kids in need.
The need to help families facing food insecurity in California has skyrocketed during the coronavirus pandemic, and Caterina’s Club is doing more than ever to counter the impacts. "Thanks to Smart & Final and their customers, Caterina's Club was able to feed an extra one million meals during the first five months of the coronavirus pandemic here in Southern California. Giving us the ability to serve not only children but also their families who lost their jobs. On behalf of all the people we have served and continue to serve, thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Caterina’s Club founder and owner of the Anaheim White House restaurant, Chef Bruno Serato stated.
This year, the 10th annual KFI PastaThon has been expanded from a one-day in-person event to a week of live virtual events taking place December 1 – December 4. Additionally, ongoing drive-thru donations will be accepted at Chef Bruno Serato’s Anaheim White House restaurant. From November 18 to December 4, excluding Thanksgiving, Caterina’s Club will be joined by KFI AM 640, Barilla Pasta and Smart & Final volunteers in accepting donations at the restaurant located at 887 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805.
In 2019, Smart & Final supported the KFI PastaThon with a record total of $85,000 in product and donations. This included 5,500 $10 bag donations received in Smart & Final stores, plus an additional $30,000 comprised of in-store cash donations and a check from the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation. In total, the ninth annual KFI PastaThon, supported by Smart & Final and Barilla Pasta, raised a new record of more than $435,000 in cash and 109,000 pounds of pasta to benefit Caterina’s Club.
“2020 may have brought a lot of challenges, but it has also shown us a whole new level of generosity, with record fundraising in all of our in-store charitable efforts this year,” said Deb Bell-Versluis, Director, Corporate Communications & Charitable Foundation, Smart & Final. “Hunger relief is a top priority for the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation, and we are honored to continue supporting Caterina’s Club to keep warm meals available to kids in need, even if through curbside pickup these days.”
The Smart & Final Charitable Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life and nourishing the communities it serves. The Foundation aids nonprofit organizations with a focus on hunger relief, health and wellness, team sports and youth development, education, and disaster relief. In 2019, the Charitable Foundation raised $1.8 million to support nearly 3,000 causes with the help of Smart & Final customers and store associates.
About Smart & Final
Smart & Final is the smaller, faster grocery warehouse store, headquartered near Los Angeles in Commerce, California. Smart & Final’s 256 store locations offer quality products in a variety of sizes, saving customers time and money without a membership fee. Its larger format stores, Smart & Final Extra!, combine the warehouse store with traditional grocery offerings like farm-fresh produce and natural and organic options, to provide a one-stop shop for all. In business since 1871, Smart & Final remains committed to giving back to its communities through employee volunteer opportunities and donations to local nonprofits.
About the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation
Established in 2002, the Smart & Final Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that strives to give back, improve the quality of life, and nourish communities we serve throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. The Foundation has donated millions of dollars to non-profits and organizations focused on health and wellness, education, hunger relief, team sports and youth development, and disaster relief. The Smart & Final Charitable Foundation raises funds through vendor donations, associates and in-store fundraising.
