Atlanta, Georgia, USA-headquartered Americold, the world’s largest operator of temperature-controlled warehousing space, has selected Feed the Children (www.feedthechildren.org) as the company’s corporate nonprofit partner. Americold will utilize its logistics resources to support the anti-hunger organization globally in a number of ways throughout 2015 and beyond.
“We deeply respect the mission 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, Americold’s president and chief operating officer. “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 the company’s annual performance and planning meeting in Stone Mountain, Georgia, which was attended by more than 280 employees from around the world. As part of the event, 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.
A number of leading Americold customers who are food suppliers already support Feed the Children by donating truckloads of perishable food and provisions to the organization. Because these gifts come in immense 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 is addressing the situation by contributing temperature-controlled storage space, labor and transportation to ensure that perishable food and provisions donated to Feed the Children are stored properly until they can be distributed to hungry children. The company has more than 175 facilities around the globe with over 145 located in the United States, allowing for strategic positioning of the supplies close to where they’re needed most.
Through domestic and international programs, Feed the Children distributed 119 million pounds of food and supplies worldwide in fiscal year 2013. Its US food program provided more than 98 million pounds of food and essentials to over 10 million people – both children and families – who were at risk of running out of food. More than 150,000 families received help and hope through the organization’s Americans Feeding Americans program, which provides each family a box of food, essential household and personal items, and a gift box of products from Avon.
