Food 4 Less raises $40,000 to fight hunger in the Valley

Food 4 Less Central Valley stores have donated $40,000 to local food pantries, $6,000 of which went to Salvation Army food pantry programs in Selma and Madera.

The Selma and Madera programs serve an average of 620 families per month. The two programs received $3,000 each.

Money was raised through a charity golf tournament hosted by Food 4 Less vendors on May 7. All of the proceeds from the tournament went to communities around the Central Valley.

In addition to funding for Salvation Army food pantries in Selma and Madera, other pantries in Merced, Atwater, Porterville, Visalia and Fresno shared in the $40,000 raised through the tournament, which has raised more than $600,000 since it began in 1999.

“This donation from Food 4 Less is a blessing,” said Juanita Rosales, speaking for the Salvation Army in Selma. “Because of support from partners like Food 4 Less, Gongco Foods and the Gong family, (we) can continue serving hundreds of families each week.”

Food 4 Less Central Valley is owned and operated by Gongco Foods and the Gong family.

“We are proud to support the efforts of the many food pantries in the Central Valley,” said Tom Gong, president of Food 4 Less Central Valley. “Coming together is an important step in addressing food insecurity in the Valley, and we are honored to join the local fight against hunger.”

For information on Salvation Army food assistance programs and how you can help, contact the Salvation Army Madera office at (559) 681-1789 or the the Selma office at (559) 891-0811.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Food 4 Less raises $40,000 to fight hunger in the Valley."