Americold, the provider of temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, has selected Feed the Children as the company’s corporate non-profit partner. Feed the Children is one of the world’s leading anti-hunger organizations, dedicated to creating a world where no child goes to bed hungry. Americold will utilize its logistics resources to support Feed the Children globally in a number of ways throughout 2015 and beyond. “We deeply respect the mission of Feed the Children and value the organization’s efficiency in ensuring that the highest level of contributions are delivered directly to children who need basic sustenance,” said Fred Boehler, president and chief operating officer of Americold. “Feed the Children is a passionate and logical fit for Americold because we both share a global footprint—allowing our company to use our network of trucks and storage facilities to move and store perishable foods and allowing Feed the Children to support children in their own communities.”
Americold announced its partnership with Feed the Children at the company’s annual performance and planning meeting, this year attended by more than 280 employees from the global Americold network. As part of the event held in Stone Mountain GA, Americold employees launched the company’s first initiative with Feed the Children. The employees filled approximately 500 backpacks with school supplies, toiletries, clothing, and other essential items for homeless and at-risk children in DeKalb County, Georgia. Feed the Children will work the DeKalb County School District to distribute the backpacks to the children. “The DeKalb County School District is grateful for the opportunity, and we look forward to the partnership with Americold and Feed the Children in supplying backpacks filled with food and school supplies for the students we serve. Last school year, the DeKalb County School District-Homeless Program identified 1,800 students who were living in a homeless situation,” said Sandrea Jones, homeless liaison social worker, DeKalb County School District. A number of leading Americold customers that are food suppliers already support Feed the Children by donating truckloads of perishable food and provisions to the organization. Because these gifts come in large volumes, the challenge is where to safely store large quantities of perishable provisions. Feed the Children’s own storage locations may not have the capacity to accommodate large quantities of food, and the donated food and provisions are at risk of spoiling or subject to expensive storage fees. Americold will contribute temperature-controlled storage space, labor, and transportation to ensure that perishable food and provisions donated to Feed the Children are stored in perfect condition until they can be distributed to hungry children. Americold has more than 175 facilities around the globe with 145-plus located in the United States. Access www.americold.com or www.feedthechildren.org for more information.
