FRESNO COUNTY – The Wonderful Company has awarded over $1 million in community grant funds to nonprofits and schools in the Central Valley, including nonprofits benefiting the community of Sanger and the nearby unincorporated community of Del Rey.
A holding company for Lynda Resnick and Stewart Resnick, who own multiple companies including Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds and Fiji Water, The Wonderful Company began its Central Valley Community Grant program in 2016 to give back to the people of the San Joaquin Valley. Through the latest round of grant awards, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fresno County, Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno and the Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention received a combined $145,000.
“At Wonderful, our calling is clear — to leave people and the planet better than we found them — starting in our own backyard,” Andy Anzaldo, COO of corporate responsibility at Wonderful, said. “The Central Valley is home to the majority of our employees, and we strongly believe in the importance of giving back to the communities in which we operate. Being Wonderful neighbors is the heart of our company.”
The grants given to nonprofits in the Fresno area will support their operations and specifically focus on resources and programs provided to those in the Sanger and Del Rey areas. Anzaldo said the Boys and Girls Club of Fresno County will support children in Del Rey and Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno will provide family resource services to children and their families in both Del Rey and Sanger.
Funds for the Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention will provide caregiver education and professional training on infant drowning and mental health care in Sanger and Del Rey, as well as the communities of Firebaugh and Mendota further north in Fresno County.
Anzaldo said the grants are awarded yearly with amounts ranging from $1,000 to $100,000. They focus on impact areas including youth enrichment and education, the arts, economic advancement, domestic violence prevention, legal aid, park access and sustainability and community health.
The Wonderful Company has nine priority communities that they support through the grant program, Anzaldo said. While organizations do not have to be based in those communities, the company looks for proposals that focus on at least one or more of the communities. Awarded projects are ones that show clearly articulated community needs with tangible, measurable results.
“Our mission is to support game-changing work that will improve the lives and opportunities of generations to come,” Anzaldo said.
Since starting the Central Valley Community Grants program, The Wonderful Company has awarded more than $6 million to local organizations, including more than 77 nonprofits and 165 schools, Anzaldo said.
Other Central Valley communities awarded funds through this program include Avenal, Delano, Lost Hills, Shafter and Wasco alongside Mendota, Firebaugh, Del Rey and Sanger.
