One in 5 Californians — about 8 million people — currently struggle with food insecurity. In commemoration of World Milk Day, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has announced a partnership with Raley's Food For Families program to deliver milk, one of the most requested but least donated items, to California food banks during June Dairy Month.

During a June 1st event at the Raley's location on Freeport Blvd in Sacramento, the CMAB and representatives from Raley's and the Yolo Food Bank outlined the matching funds initiative that will provide up to 13,000 gallons – more than 200,000 servings – of fluid milk to 12 food bank sites. Part of the Real California Milk CADAIRY4GOOD program and Raley's well-known Food For Families charitable organization, the partnership is part of an ongoing commitment from both to providing resources to food banks and feeding programs to increase access to nutritious foods.

Throughout the month of June, California dairy families, through the CMAB, will match customer in-store and online Food For Families donations, dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000 to provide fresh milk to those suffering from food insecurity in northern California. Prompts with the "Do Good with Dairy" message will be shared through in-store signage and digital communications to alert consumers to the initiative.

California Agriculture Secretary, Karen Ross, was onsite to help make the announcement, stating: "In California, we're so fortunate to grow many crops and our number one crop is from our dairy families. It's not just about the economics of dairy, which is significant, it's about the social good and the environmental good that our dairy families provide to the state. It's a thrill to be here about something I'm so passionate about - being able to ensure that every person in California, the state that grows the bounty, shares the bounty. That's what our farm families do, and our dairy farmers are always first in line. I think about the children, the adults, those people in need that are going to have fresh milk as part of a healthy, nutritious diet."

"California dairy farms like mine have a commitment to nourishing families with one of the most nutritious foods available – milk – with its 13 essential nutrients," said California dairy farmer Maureen Lemos. "On a day when we celebrate the wholesome goodness of dairy milk, I'm so pleased to be here to announce this partnership and focus on the impact it will have on our local communities."

The California milk donations will be distributed to 12 Food For Family partner food banks – Alameda County Community Food Bank, Central California Food Bank, Food Bank for Monterey County, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Placer Food Bank, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest of the Greater Valley, and Yolo Food Bank.

Karen Baker, Executive Director for Yolo Food Bank, said: "On behalf of Yolo Food Bank and the rest of the food banks benefiting from this effort, I'm honored to thank our dairy farmers who are always there to feed our families. Milk is an important source of nourishment for the more than 21,000 households we serve monthly. And the donation couldn't come at a more important time. Not only does food insecurity often spike during the summer with children spending more time at home, but we've also seen a 20% increase across food bank distributions since a year ago. I can't stress enough how critical this donation is, it's like liquid gold for our food bank. Many thanks Raley's Food For Families for their role in this innovative partnership."

With help from customers, vendors, and Raley's team members, Raley's Food For Families has provided millions of meals to local families. Raley's absorbs all administrative costs, maximizing the impact of every donation.

"Raley's Food For Families has been around for 37 years with the sole mission of helping alleviate hunger. And we do that with great partners," said Chelsea Minor, Executive Director of Food For Families. "When the California Milk Advisory Board approached us and said, we'd like to give you $20,000, can you help us deliver dairy to our food banks? We said, absolutely. We appreciate the leadership of the dairy farmers to ensure that dairy is getting to every person in our community, whether you purchase it at Raley's or pick it up at your local food bank."

The CADAIRY4GOOD platform focuses on increasing access to nourishing dairy foods for individuals and families throughout California through partnerships to pilot programs to deliver product and refrigeration resources to the state's food banks and feeding programs.

California is the number one dairy state. Its 1,100 family dairy farms are focused on delivering the wholesome goodness of California milk while creating a greener, more sustainable future for dairy in the state.

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state's dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB's programs focus on increasing demand for California's sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Raley's Food For Families is a registered 501(c)3 organization providing food to Feeding America food banks and their network of partner agencies. The year-round program serves the communities of Northern California and Western Nevada through Raley's, Bel Air Market, Nob Hill Foods and Raley's ONE Market locations. Raley's Food For Families began as a holiday food drive in 1986 and was founded by Co-Chairman and Owner Joyce Raley Teel and CEO emeritus Charles Collings. In the past 33 years, the organization has raised over $59 million and 44 million pounds of fresh wholesome food. With a long commitment to local communities, Raley's Food For Families continues to grow and thrive as an organization dedicated to health and happiness for those experiencing food insecurity. Raley's covers one hundred percent of the administrative costs for the non-profit, meaning all donations go directly to the food bank partners.

Bank of America is pleased to officially launch its impact accelerator program named Bank of America Breakthrough Lab with the call for applications for the September 2023 cohort. The six-month program provides tailored mentorship, digital expertise, networking with industry experts and access to potential investors to Black, Hispanic-Latino, Native American and other entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities so that they can scale-up their technology-related businesses.

Founders of early-stage startups from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply to the program that promotes financial inclusion and financial technology development with the goal of increasing the number and growth of small businesses. The deadline for applications is June 8, 2023 for a September 2023 start date.

“The bank’s long-standing commitment to supporting economic opportunity for people and communities we serve is at the core of Bank of America Breakthrough Lab,” said Rina Arline, Breakthrough Lab Program Director in Global Transaction Services at Bank of America. “We’re excited to play a role in giving emerging entrepreneurs from a range of backgrounds access to the bank’s vast resources and industry networks.”

Breakthrough Lab Success

In 2021, the bank launched a pilot program with five startups from the New York area. Following the initial success, in 2022 the bank expanded the pilot with 17 companies from the U.S., Mexico, United Kingdom and France.

Bank of America’s Efforts to Advance Economic Opportunity

Bank of America remains committed to supporting business owners and entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities grow their businesses, which generates economic opportunities that helps create jobs and build wealth. Bank of America also works with an established network of community partners that provides capital or serves as depository institutions, and offers businesses with access to other funds, investors and vendors by creating connectivity within the venture capital sphere. In 2021, the bank launched the Access to Capital Directory for Entrepreneurs - Access to Capital Directory to help connect women-owned businesses to resources on navigating the capital landscape and identifying potential sources of funding. This directory has now expanded to encompass Black and Hispanic Latino entrepreneurs.

To date, Bank of America has committed $421 million to more than 130 minority and women-led funds. Those funds will in turn invest in an estimated 2,000-plus minority- and women-led companies over five years.

“Our investment in minority and women-led funds has a catalytic effect in supporting diverse communities,” said Tram Nguyen, Global Head of Strategic & Sustainable Investments at Bank of America. “Each time we support a minority-led fund, they in turn support diverse entrepreneurs, which ultimately helps us to achieve our goal of advancing economic opportunity. Each cohort of Breakthrough Lab founders plays a critical role in helping us to drive progress.”

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

With more of us looking to travel internationally this year, Alaska Airlines is celebrating our newest global airline partner: STARLUX Airlines, a Taipei-based premium carrier, which today launched its inaugural transpacific service between Taipei and Los Angeles. Alaska is STARLUX's first airline partner.

Our Mileage Plan members can now earn miles on all STARLUX flights, and soon they'll be able to redeem miles on STARLUX. When redemptions become available this summer on STARLUX flights between Los Angeles and Taipei, they will start at 20,000 miles for economy, 40,000 for premium economy and 60,000 for business class for a limited time

From Southern California, STARLUX opens a new international gateway through its main hub in Taipei for connections to 16 destinations across Asia, including Bangkok, Thailand; Hanoi, Vietnam; Penang, Malaysia; Manila, Philippines; Singapore; Macau and Sapporo, Japan. Los Angeles (LAX) is one of Alaska's hubs along the West Coast allowing for convenient connectivity to STARLUX flights for our guests.

"STARLUX is a premier global airline offering world-class service and amenities. We're proud to be their first airline partner," said Nat Pieper, senior vice president of fleet, finance and alliances at Alaska Airlines. "Our guests will love flying on STARLUX, connecting the West Coast, Taipei and many more incredible places in Asia. We're thrilled to offer our loyal Mileage Plan members another exciting way to see the world."

"STARLUX Airlines has marked a successful three-year operation of our Asian routes, revolutionizing the aviation industry with our exceptional service and innovative cabin design that have been highly commended by passengers. In a new milestone, we launched our inaugural flight to Los Angeles today, offering convenient and comfortable long-haul premier services to passengers traveling to the city of angels," said Glenn Chai, CEO of STARLUX Airlines.

Chai added: "Alaska Airlines, the fifth largest airline in the United States with a wide network covering over 100 cities across the country, is partnering with STARLUX Airlines to deliver more exquisite and convenient flights for travelers journeying between North America and Asia. The partnership will enable seamless connections for STARLUX Airlines customers traveling to destinations across the U.S., making it easier and more convenient to navigate the country's extensive domestic air network. With this partnership, we are committed to ensuring that travelers enjoy a hassle-free journey and arrive at their final destinations feeling relaxed and refreshed."

STARLUX operates the transpacific route with its new-generation Airbus A350-900 aircraft configured in a four-class layout: First, business, premium economy and economy. Travelers in first and business classes enjoy a private space with a sliding door and seats with full-flat and Zero G mode for full relaxation. The extra-legroom premium economy section features a 40-inch Recaro seat with a leg rest and footrest bar. Economy class seats are equipped with leather headrests and a wide seat pitch.

Inflight service on STARLUX includes Taiwanese signature dishes and amenities prepared for passengers in all classes. STARLUX will be offering first and business guests a selection of the best top chef's creations and local Taiwanese delicacies. The popular STARLUX signature dish yakiniku donburi is served on board. And to bring greater individuality to their air travel experience, all passengers can pre-order meals online so they can enjoy the meal they want.

Alaska is a member of the oneworld global alliance. With oneworld and our additional airline partners, our guests can earn and redeem miles all over the world through our highly acclaimed Mileage Plan program. Elite status on Alaska automatically matches tier status in oneworld so members can enjoy all the benefits that come with it right away.

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.

Launched in 2020, STARLUX is a luxury airline based in Taipei serving 16 Asian destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Sendai, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu. STARLUX now serves passengers traveling between Asia and North America with an easy transfer in Taipei. STARLUX is dedicated to providing exquisite services and the utmost comfort for each passenger to enjoy an unforgettable journey. The STARLUX fleet consists of three types of new-generation Airbus aircraft that are extremely efficient – A321neo, A330neo and A350 – to provide the finest and most eco-friendly journeys.

Today, Wreaths Across America (WAA) announces the 2023 Youth Service Project as part of its year-round TEACH program. The project will tie into the national nonprofit’s 2023 theme, ‘Serve and Succeed.’

The Youth Service Project encourages young people of all ages and grade levels to develop, organize and execute a community service project to improve the lives of veterans or others in their local community. By participating in, and successfully completing the Serve and Succeed project of their choosing, students will receive a certificate of community service award and commemorative bracelet from WAA. Each participant will be entered into a random drawing for the opportunity to visit the National Wreaths Across America Museum, Gold Star History and Hospitality House and the tip land monuments where replica dog tags from thousands of service men and women are hung in remembrance. The service project needs to be completed by Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2023.

Throughout the year, the WAA TEACH program provides educational opportunities for people nationwide to engage with veterans in their communities. In 2022 generous supporters made it possible for WAA to launch a K-12 curriculum that is aligned with the National Council on Social Studies and state Common Core standards. The free, downloadable lesson plans ensure stories of service, sacrifice and valor are passed down to future generations while building good character and self-worth through service to others. WAA also launched its first Youth Service Project in 2022, where students participated in an oral history project interviewing veterans. The contest winner, randomly selected from among the participants, was recently selected and will be publicly acknowledged at the organization’s annual Stem to Stone event held in Maine each summer.

“Teaching younger generations the value of freedom and the importance of honoring those who sacrificed is a core part of our mission, but we want our young people to know you do not have to be in the military to serve,” said Cindy Tatum, WAA TEACH Curriculum Developer and Gold Star Mother. “The WAA 2023 Youth Service Project encourages America’s youth to create, develop, and execute a community service project that will benefit Veterans or others in their local community or the global community. No act of service is too small, and we look forward to the impactful projects students will submit.” To learn more about the TEACH program and participate in the service project, please visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach.

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. For more information or to sponsor a wreath please visit wreathsacrossamerica.org.