Apples & Pears on a Mission is Underway
The Apples and Pears on a Mission initiative is made possible thanks to a seven-year partnership with Rainier Fruits, a fruit company based in Washington.
Here’s how it works: During the fall and winter months, guests can purchase Rainier Fruits apples and pears from produce departments across the country. A portion of the proceeds from those purchases is collected to purchase socks that are donated to retailers like our grocery stores. In Lubbock, Amarillo, Abilene, and Midland/Odessa, we donate the socks to our local Salvation Army organizations. In Wichita Falls, we donate the socks to Faith Mission Wichita Falls.
These organizations work hard to serve thousands of people in the homeless community and socks are a must-have to stay warm. And believe it or not, socks are one of the least donated items to organizations that serve the homeless community. That’s part of why this donation is so impactful.
“For some, a new pair of socks can make a world of difference,” said Joseph Bunting, produce business director for The United Family. “That’s why we are so grateful to partner with Rainier Fruits to do this program for the seventh year. We are also thankful to our guests for participating and helping us positively impact our community.”
Over the seven years of partnership with Rainier Fruits, we have been able to donate 35,000 pairs of socks to organizations across the communities we serve. That’s a lot of warm feet!
If you don’t see your community’s presentation photos yet, come back soon! We will continue to update this post until all of our presentations from 2026 are complete.
Shoutout to all of our produce teams who do such a great job making sure our apples and pears look great and fresh for our guests. It makes a huge difference!
