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Associated Press
11-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Albertsons® Companies Announces New Goal To Enable 1.5 Billion Meals Across Local Communities by 2030
March 10, 2025 /3BL/ - Albertsons® Companies, Inc ('Albertsons') and The Albertsons® Companies Foundation ('The Foundation') announced two significant advancements in the company's mission to help end the cycle of hunger during the South by Southwest® SXSW® Conference and Festivals. As part of the grocer's Recipe for Change® impact framework, Albertsons will enable a new goal of 1.5 billion meals by 2030 through a combination of surplus food donations from stores and funds raised by the Foundation, after meeting its original goal of enabling more than one billion meals. Additionally, The Foundation's Nourishing Neighbors program will invest $10 million annually to help break the cycle of hunger through various initiatives including its Innovation Spark Fund program; the E.A.T. curriculum for middle and high school students; a coalition created to tackle summer hunger; and other programs aimed at reducing food insecurity. 'At Albertsons, we remain committed to fighting food insecurity in the communities we serve today while working to create lasting solutions to end hunger tomorrow, and forever,' said Jennifer Saenz, EVP of Pharmacy and E-Commerce for Albertsons and Board Chair for The Foundation. 'The time for change is now as more than 44 million Americans, including 13.4 million children*, face the challenge of food insecurity, and we must come together across communities to solve this hunger crisis.' Ending Hunger Today, Tomorrow, and Forever In support of the Food Track at SXSW in Austin, Texas, Albertsons teamed up with Kellanova, maker of snacking brands like Pringles®, Cheez-It® and Pop-Tarts®, No Kid Hungry and Regen House, a collaboration between HowGood, EIT Food, and the Institute of Regeneration, to discuss viable solutions to tackle hunger. After unveiling Albertsons' new meals goal and annual Foundation investment, Christy Duncan Anderson, President and Executive Director of The Foundation, participated in a lively panel discussion with Stephanie Slingerland, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Kellanova, and Anne Filipic, CEO at No Kid Hungry. During the panel, each participant discussed their organization's approach to helping eradicate hunger as well as their programs and commitments to continue fighting food insecurity. Attendees were then invited to visit three stations at the event – Today, Tomorrow and Forever – to learn about actions they can take to help end the cycle of hunger. 'Food insecurity is a complex problem that requires collaboration to create long-term, lasting solutions,' said Duncan Anderson. 'By partnering with Kellanova, No Kid Hungry and Regen House at such an innovative conference like SXSW, we have the unique opportunity to shine a light on hunger and the urgent need for communities to come together to address food insecurity and brainstorm innovative solutions.' Nourishing Neighbors Program Nourishing Neighbors, a charitable program of The Foundation, seeks to ensure at-risk children, adults, seniors and families have access to the food they need to thrive. This past June, Nourishing Neighbors celebrated a decade of fighting hunger in local communities. Since the program's inception in 2014, Nourishing Neighbors has raised more than $297 million for thousands of nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of combatting hunger in America. Donating Surplus Food to Local Communities Each year, Albertsons stores donate millions of pounds of food to local food banks, pantries and other organizations that are on the front lines in the fight against hunger. As outlined in the latest Recipe for Change report, the company donated more than 92 million pounds of food from stores, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities in 2023, which is the equivalent of enabling over 76 million meals. Additionally, local stores support hunger relief efforts such as food drives and volunteer initiatives. Thanks to these efforts, combined with the generosity of Albertsons' associates and customers, the company met our original goal of enabling more than one billion meals in 2023. 'A key component of our Recipe for Change framework is fighting food insecurity at a local level which is why we're constantly exploring programs and partnerships that advance localized food donation solutions,' said Suzanne Long, Chief Sustainability and Transformation Officer for Albertsons. 'We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made to date, and we're keen to leverage and implement innovative practices as we work to achieve our new goal of enabling an additional 1.5 billion meals by 2030.' here. For the 2024 Recipe for Change Report, click here.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Helix Earth Wins 2025 SXSW Pitch in the Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability category
HOUSTON, March 10, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Helix Earth Technologies, Inc., (Helix Earth), a Houston-based hardware company at the forefront of clean tech solutions has been named the winner of the 17th annual SXSW Pitch, in the Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability category. Helix Earth's Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Brad Husick, who presented the pitch alongside Blake Mistich, director of business development, said, "We faced impressive competition from a well-chosen set of finalists, and we're honored to be chosen as the winners. One of the judges even commented, 'Who knew you could make air conditioning sexy.'" "We are deeply grateful to be recognized as a winner of the SXSW Pitch," said Rawand Rasheed, CEO and co-founder of Helix Earth. "This win validates our mission to drive sustainable innovation in commercial air conditioning and beyond. We are excited about the future of Helix Earth and the impact we will have in reducing energy consumption and emissions. SXSW has provided an incredible platform to connect with forward-thinking industry leaders, investors, and changemakers." Held on March 8 - 9, 2025, SXSW Pitch is the marquee event of South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference & Festivals, where leading startups from around the world showcase some of the most impressive technological innovations to a panel of hand-picked judges and a live audience. The competition featured 45 finalists, selected from 589 applicants, in nine categories: AgTech & Food; Enterprise, Smart Data, FinTech & Future of Work; Entertainment, Media, Sports & Content; Robotics, Web3, Voice & Extended Reality; HealthTech, MedTech, BioTech & Accessibility; Innovative World Tech; Security, GovTech & Space; Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability; and Student Startups. Best of Show award was presented to ADD. For the full list of winners, go to Spun out of Rice University and incubated at Greentown Labs in Houston since 2022, the company leveraged technology co-developed for NASA by Rasheed, to create groundbreaking hardware technology designed to disrupt a significant portion of the commercial air conditioning market, an industry that is ready for innovation. This cost-effective, commercial air conditioner add-on technology, now in pilot phase, will produce drier air to save up to 50% of the net energy used in commercial air conditioning, a significant impact on both emissions and operating costs. The company has already garnered industry attention and recognition for its transformative approach to accelerating liquid-gas chemical processes. In addition to its commercial air conditioning solution, the company is innovating solutions for commercial humidity control and carbon capture. For more information about Helix Earth, its people, and its innovative hardware solutions, please visit About SXSW SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. Learn more at For more information about SXSW Pitch, visit: View source version on Contacts Media contacts: Ania Czarnecka, Ward, for Helix Earthaczarnecka@ Brad HusickCo-Founder and Chief Business OfficerHelix Earthinfo@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SXSW Announces Winners of 2025 Pitch Competition
Seventeenth Annual Competition honors innovative startups within nine categories AUSTIN, Texas, March 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Conference and Festivals announced the winners of the 17th annual SXSW Pitch event presented by KPMG, which took place March 8-9 at the Hilton Austin Downtown during the Startups Track of the SXSW Conference. In addition to a winner chosen from each of the nine categories, winners were selected for the "Best Bootstrap Company", "Best Speed Pitch", "Best in Inclusivity" and "Best In Show" awards. The category winners of the 2025 SXSW Pitch event are: AgTech & Food: Knead Technologies (Calgary, Canada) Enterprise, Smart Data, FinTech & Future of Work: Polygraf AI (Austin, TX) Entertainment, Media, Sports & Content: NeuralGarage (Bangalore, India) HealthTech, MedTech, BioTech & Accessibility: Glidance (Seattle, WA) Innovative World Tech: Xatoms (Toronto, Canada) Robotics, Web3, Voice & Extended Reality: Contoro (Austin, TX) Security, GovTech & Space: Little Place Labs Inc. (Houston, TX) Smart Cities, Transportation & Sustainability: Helix Earth (Houston, TX) Student Startups: MabLab (Boston, MA) SXSW Pitch 2025 also honored its "Best In Show" winner, Polygraf AI (Austin, TX). Special awards were also presented to Azul Biotechnologies, Inc. (Brooklyn, NY) for "Best Bootstrap Company," Tempest Droneworx (Houston, Texas) for "Best Speed Pitch," and Launch Ahead (Tulsa, OK) for "Best In Inclusivity." Each of the Pitch winners received a cash prize, two badges for next year's SXSW conference, the SXSW Arrow Trophy, and most importantly, exceptional exposure to SXSW attendees and potential investors who are looking for the latest in cutting-edge technology and innovation. "SXSW Pitch is proud to give a platform to today's leading global startups for its 17th year," said SXSW Pitch Event Producer, Chris Valentine. "As we watch industries change with the advent of AI and the leaps forward facilitated by new technologies, we are excited to showcase the companies and entrepreneurs that are leading innovation within their fields and give them a stage to highlight their work, which has the power to transform our world as we know it." This year's participating companies represent the most innovative global startups. Since the program kicked off in 2009, SXSW Pitch finalists have raised more than $23.2 billion in funding, with 17% of SXSW Pitch finalists have been acquired by industry giants such as Google, British Telecom, Huffington Post, Apple, Live Nation, OpenTable, Meta, Michelin, Constant Contact, and Harmon. Prominent trends showcased at this year's Pitch event included artificial intelligence and GenAI, autonomous robotics and virtual environments, disease detection, and environmental and sustainability initiatives. SXSW attendees and media will have the opportunity to meet the Pitch finalists on Monday, March 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT at the Griffin Hall at the JW Marriott. For a complete list of the 2025 Finalists, including alternates and the Pitch event judges, visit: To learn more about the Startups Track, visit: About SXSWSXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture. An essential destination for global professionals, the annual March event features sessions, music, and comedy showcases, film and television screenings, exhibitions, professional development, and a variety of opportunities to meet and connect with people. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and individuals come together. SXSW 2025 will take place March 7–15 in Austin. Learn more at To register for the event, please visit SXSW's expansion into the Asia Pacific region, with SXSW Sydney starting in 2023 and Europe with SXSW London in 2025, provides new possibilities at this iconic experience. These events, each with their own distinct flavor, make South By an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community. SXSW 2025 Driven by Rivian. Press Contacts:Benjamin Perezbenjamin@ Nicole Lombardonicole@ View original content: SOURCE South by Southwest Sign in to access your portfolio
