Keene, NH - August 25, 2005 - As a demonstration of its commitment to alleviate hunger, C&S Wholesale Grocers announced grants made to seven statewide food banks that are part of Americas Second Harvest: The Nations Food Bank Network.
These food banks are making strides to tackle the growing problem of domestic hunger, said Rick Cohen, Chairman and CEO of C&S. Were glad that our support with both food and funds will help them reach people who need assistance the most.
Recipients included:
Cleveland Food Bank
This donation was made in support of the Cleveland Community Kitchen (CCK) at the Food Bank.
The CCK prepares 2,250 nutritiously-balanced meals a day using food donated by supermarkets, caterers, and other sources. The program is expected to grow to 2,600 meals a day. Meals are distributed to local agencies such as soup kitchens, shelters, and centers for low-income senior citizens.
Vermont Food Bank
This grant will be used to support 15 food shelves and meal sites in Windham County. Over the course of twelve months, it will result in approx. 90,000 lbs. of food to be distributed in the area for families and individuals in need.
New Jersey Community Food Bank
Funds from C&S, along with support from Panera Bread, will enable the Food Bank to expand its supermarket gleaning initiative. Focusing on meat and other high quality proteins at supermarkets, this program improves nutrition and alleviates the over-reliance on carbohydrates that is too often the base of diets for low-income people. The NJ Food Banks serves 1,000 agencies statewide.
Food Bank of Western New York
When donations of large quantities of food are received at the Food Bank, it must be processed or repackaged into 2- or 5-pound packages. In addition to support from C&S, this effort is underwritten by the NY State Department of Health and the Finger Lakes Resource and Conservation Council.
Central Pennsylvania Food Bank
Support toward Elder Share, a program that targets a vulnerable group of senior citizens who are living on meager, fixed incomes. At no charge, the Elder Share provides free boxes of nutritious food at the end of the month and offers basic health screening services. The Central PA Food Bank has operated Elder Share for two years.
New Hampshire Food Bank
In addition to sponsoring visits by the NH Food Banks new Mobile Food Pantry to the Monadnock Region, this grant will be used to supply and delivery food to six agencies including a local community kitchen, food pantries, and an organization that provides friendly meals for senior citizens.
Maryland Food Bank
Support for the School Pantry Program which encourages parents to volunteer their time in their childrens schools and to be invited to get a free bag of groceries. The program was established in 1995 and is in place at 37 inner-city Baltimore area schools. During the 04-05 school year nearly 5,000 parents volunteered more than 35,000 hours and received 4,376 bags of groceries.
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is a privately owned company with annual sales of over $16 billion. The company is the 8th largest privately held company in the nation, as ranked by Forbes magazine. Founded in 1918, C&S provides distribution services to grocery chains and independent stores, delivering to more than 4,000 locations from its distribution centers in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont.
C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to stop hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company's employees and facilities.