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Homeboy Industries To Mass Distribute Its Chips And Salsa

Roselle Chen |
January 24, 2011 | 10:06 a.m. PST

Senior Entertainment Editor

Homeboy Industries will launch the mass distribution of its chips and salsa product to Ralphs’ supermarkets across Southern California in a downtown press conference Tuesday.

Proceeds from their sales as well as a $50,000 donation from Ralphs will go to the nonprofit.

The downtown supermarket has been selling Homeboy’s chips and salsa for over a year, but the food will be available by Tuesday to the 256 Ralphs in Southern California.

“We’re very happy about this,” said case manager Norma Gillette. “We think it’s going to help us a lot budget wise and contribute to our bottom line.”

With its recent $100,000 donation awarded by an apparel company, Homeboy is off to a promising start for 2011 given its mass layoff of 330 people last May.

“We managed to end the year in the black and have at least regained our financial footing,” said Mona Hobson, director of development at Homeboy Industries. “We plan on doing more fundraising projects and hope to renew contributions for the new fiscal year.”

Homeboy operates on an annual budget of $7-8 million, said Hobson.

Father Gregory Boyle founded the organization in 1992 to help at-risk youth and former gang members become responsible community members by providing social services like job placement, counseling, tattoo removal and employment and has since rehabilitated over 12,000 ex-gang members to date.

The Homeboy Salsa flavors include: Morita, Mango, Salsa Verde, Pico de Gallo (mild and hot) and Mole.

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