With the federal government scaling back support for food banks and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients, grocers like The Save Mart Cos. say retailers must step up to help fill the gap.
“The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation is committed to supporting organizations and programs which address food insecurity in our communities, which has indeed become more pressing in recent times,” says Joan Dobias-Davis, chairperson of the CARES Foundation and senior vice president and chief human resources officer for The Save Mart Cos. “The retail grocery industry has a responsibility to be part of the solution, as much of the food product going to area food banks comes directly from food retailers. As area food banks are under growing pressure to handle increasing volume of food donations, they may lack the infrastructure required to preserve, store and transport food product to those in need.
“The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation, in partnership with the Jim Pattison Foundation, is leveraging our industry expertise and passion for healthful foods to address the infrastructure gaps, recognizing that each dollar invested enables the distribution of 10 meals, directly benefiting food-insecure families in our communities,” Dobias-Davis adds.
A statement by the California Association of Food Banks reports that both the Senate and House proposed budget reconciliation bills include hundreds of billions in cuts to SNAP, known as CalFresh in California: a $295 billion cut in the House bill and a $211 billion cut in the Senate bill. If approved, California alone would face “upwards of $3 billion cut to this critical food safety-net, which supports more than 5 million Californians,” the association says. In addition, the funding cuts would also affect the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which supports food banks, school meals and SUN Bucks (supporting families during summer months when school meals are unavailable).
“Cuts to SNAP (CalFresh) are happening at the same time as funding is being reduced for Medicaid and several other programs that support the social safety net. When families are forced to make trade-offs between health care, rent, childcare and other critical expenses, we know that food loses out,” says Stacia Levenfeld, CEO for the California Association of Food Banks.
“To understand the impact of cutting CalFresh benefits on hunger in our communities, you need to recognize that the cumulative effect of the safety net cuts has a multiplier impact on hunger,” Levenfeld adds. “Food banks around the state are still working with their communities to understand these impacts, but we know they will be significant.”
Levenfeld says the association is closely following how these programmatic cuts will impact hunger in the state.
“Our team is continuing our data and research efforts, and has resources available for reference here,” Levenfeld says.
CARES Foundation
The Save Mart Companies’ CARES Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2025 Feeding Forward Grant. Designed to fight hunger and strengthen the food safety net in the communities it serves, the program helps expand food recovery infrastructure and supports edible food recovery efforts in alignment with California SB 1383 regulations, according to a news release.
The announcement followed the organization’s annual fundraising event, the CARES Golf Tournament, held at the Chardonnay Golf Club in Napa, Calif.
In honor of the foundation’s 20th anniversary of giving, the 2025-2026 Feeding Forward Grant will focus on building the capacity of nonprofit organizations that work to recover and redistribute food to those in need, the company says. Grants ranging from $20,000 to $200,000 are available to eligible nonprofit food security organizations to fund critical infrastructure such as cold storage, refrigerated vehicles, warehouse improvements, forklifts and other equipment essential for food recovery and distribution.
“The Save Mart Companies and the CARES Foundation are honored to support organizations that make a lasting impact in our communities and help our neighbors thrive,” Dobias-Davis says. “We value those organizations that passionately work to address important needs, especially programs that support youth, education, the arts, health, food insecurity and other life challenges faced daily in the communities we serve.”
Applications for the Feeding Forward Grant will be accepted from July 11 through August 11. Interested nonprofit organizations may apply online at thesavemartcompanies.com/community. Applications must be submitted using the Feeding Forward process in the grant application, according to the release.
