Dole Food Co Inc has donated packaged foods, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit — including bananas, pineapples, and plantains — to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in the New Orleans LA and Gulfport MS areas. The company is donating money to the American Red Cross and encouraging its employees to participate in the relief effort by matching their contributions to the American Red Cross or Salvation Army.
A program has been established whereby employees can donate the monetary value of a day of vacation to a fund that will directly support Dole employees impacted by Katrina.
Dole shipped bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruit from Central and South America through Gulfport. These shipments are being diverted to other port facilities including Freeport TX, Port Everglades FL, and Wilmington DE.
The firms 41 employees in the Gulfport area have been accounted for, and their immediate living needs are being met. Dole is assessing the long-term needs of these employees.
