Riviana Foods is taking its RiceSelect Jars of Hope initiative into Washington state this October, marking the first geographic expansion of the annual hunger-relief campaign beyond California in its three-year history. The program, running October 1–31, 2026, donates one jar of rice or grains for every two RiceSelect jars purchased at participating retailers — now including Albertsons, Foods Co., Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Raley's, Ralphs, QFC, and Walmart across both states.
Why the Expansion Matters
The addition of Washington is more than a retail footprint play — it reflects growing food insecurity across the Pacific Northwest. According to Riviana, 9.5% of Washington households currently experience food insecurity, and that number is rising. In California, nearly nine million residents — more than one in five — are food insecure, a statistic the first two campaign cycles have worked to address. Jars of Hope has generated almost $250,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions over its first two years, a figure that sets a meaningful baseline as the initiative scales.
For foodservice and grocery operators, cause-marketing programs tied to staple pantry goods like rice and grains represent a growing segment of consumer-engagement strategy. Shelf-stable grains occupy a dual role: they move volume in retail and carry demonstrable nutritional value for food bank distribution networks. Retail food and beverage trends increasingly show that shoppers respond to purchase-linked giving, particularly for commodity categories where brand differentiation is otherwise difficult to sustain.
New Partner, Broader Network
To support the Washington rollout, Riviana has added Food Lifeline — a Seattle-based organization that provided 73.1 million pounds of food to Western Washington communities in its most recent fiscal year through a network logging 16 million service visits. The addition complements the campaign's ongoing relationship with California Food Banks, a statewide network of 43 food banks and more than 6,000 community-based organizations.
"Expanding into Washington allows us to build on that momentum and extend the program's impact to communities in the Pacific Northwest," said Megan Byerly, RiceSelect Brand Manager. Ken Ryals, Chief Development Officer at Food Lifeline, noted the importance of culturally relevant food in addressing hunger: "Every jar donated through this campaign will strengthen our ability to meet growing needs in the communities we serve."
For operators tracking how grain and ingredient suppliers position their brands at retail, the Jars of Hope structure offers a replicable model: finite campaign window, capped donation commitments (Washington donations are capped at 5,000 jars; California at 15,000), and major-chain retail partnerships that drive both visibility and volume. Restaurant and foodservice supply chain coverage has documented similar supplier-driven initiatives gaining traction as inflationary pressure makes value-added brand storytelling more critical. Riviana, the largest processor and distributor of branded rice in the United States, markets RiceSelect alongside Minute, Mahatma, Carolina, Success, and Tilda under the umbrella of Spain-based parent Ebro Foods.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
