ATLANTA, Feb. 13, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americold (www.americold.com), the global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, announced today that it has selected Feed the Children (www.feedthechildren.org) as the company's corporate nonprofit 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.
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"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, Georgia, the Americold employees launched the company's first initiative with Feed the Children. On February 11, 2015, 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. "The Americold and Feed the Children opportunity will potentially impact students in multiple ways. It could mean that a student: may not have to go to bed hungry; will have the necessary supplies to complete school assignments; and might have a boost in self-esteem. All of these contribute to the ultimate goal of student academic success."
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 generous 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 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 over 145 located in the US, allowing the company to properly store the supplies closer to where they're needed most.
"We are so excited that Americold has chosen us as their corporate charity of choice," said Kevin Hagan, Feed the Children President and CEO. "Thanks to their support, we will be able to bring food, essentials, and education to children here in the United States and around the world. With their support today, we will be able to fill 500 backpacks with school supplies and food for homeless children in DeKalb County, Georgia."
Through domestic and international programs, Feed the Children distributed 119 million pounds of food and supplies worldwide in fiscal year 2013. Feed the Children's U.S. food distribution 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 our Americans Feeding Americans program, which provides each family a box of food, a box of essential household and personal items, and a gift box of products from Avon. In Georgia, 22 communities were served, including: Bremen, Atlanta, Marietta, Quitman, and Augusta. 216 shipments of food and supplies were delivered to local, grassroots partner agencies, who both identify and work directly with the families in need. In the U.S. alone, one in five children go to bed hungry every night, and 19 percent of DeKalb County residents live below the poverty line.
About Americold
Americold is the global leader in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics to the food industry, offering the most comprehensive warehousing, transportation, and logistics solutions in the world. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Americold owns and operates more than 175 temperature-controlled warehouses, with more than 1 billion cubic feet of storage, in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Argentina and Canada. Americold's warehouses are an integral component of the supply chain connecting food producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to consumers. Americold serves more than 3,000 customers, and employs 12,000 associates worldwide.
More information about Americold is at www.americold.com.
About Feed the Children
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. Since 1979, Feed the Children has grown into one of the largest United States-based charities, accredited by GuideStar Exchange and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, and given a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. By banding together with partners, donors, and communities to defeat hunger, Feed the Children distributed over $344 million in food, essentials, educational supplies, and medicine to over 10 million individuals in the United States and 18 other countries in fiscal year 2013. Visit www.feedthechildren.org for more information.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
