Nourish Food Pantry receives $5,000 to provide nutritious food to cancer patients.
Santa Rosa, CA – Raley's Food for Families is pleased to provide a $5,000 infrastructure grant to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital’s Nourish Food Pantry at the Round Barn Oncology Center. The grant will be used to purchase essential program supplies including food display racks, dollies, insulated totes and other storage items enabling the organization to expand and grow its services.
The Food for Families infrastructure grants are a new program launched by Raley’s Food For Families to help food bank partners procure important needs, including equipment and supplies like refrigeration, trucks or vans or shelving units. Donations, especially monetary ones, are often designated for direct services or food, making it difficult for nonprofits to secure funding for other essential resources. Recognizing this need among its partners, Raley’s created this program to fill the gap where other funders may not be able to provide support. Nourish Food Pantry was one of 21 different food security organizations to receive grant funding that will help improve or expand services to communities across Northern California and Nevada.
“With these new resources, the food pantry can be integrated into the hospital long-term, giving us the opportunity to provide more nutritious foods to our patients during their medical visits,” said Rebecca Webster, MPH grants officer, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Established in August 2024, the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Nourish Food Pantry – part of the Providence St. Joseph Health System – distributes about 9,000 pounds of fresh produce, pantry staples and frozen proteins each month to patients who have been diagnosed with cancer. Recognizing a need among their patients, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital partnered with Redwood Empire Food Bank to offer more nutritious options than the traditional snack cart.
"Nourish is more than a pantry, it is a beacon of hope and an extension of our Promise statement ‘know me, care for me, ease my way’ aiming to alleviate some of the burden a cancer diagnosis can bring to a patient and their family," said Katie Bower, nurse manager, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Since opening, the pantry has seen a much greater demand than expected, with more than a third of patients treated at the Round Barn Oncology Center using the pantry for essential nutrition and support during their time of need.
"Providence not only treats illness,” said Linda, a patient at the Round Barn Oncology Center. “They make sure you have the right food to eat and a roof over your head.”
The program highlights the commitment Providence has made to address food insecurity in their community.
"We are honored to support Nourish Food Pantry and the inspiring work they are doing in the Santa Rosa community, " said Carol Barsotti, Raley’s Food for Families’ board member. “This grant program was created to provide organizations with critical infrastructure needs that they could use to expand their services to the local community. We're proud to support this organization as it continues to provide nourishing food to patients — helping combat hunger and address food insecurity in meaningful ways."
For more information about Raley’s commitment to give back, please visit Raley’s Food for Families.
