At Americold, we proudly give back to our communities as part of our “cold hands, warm heart” culture, and 2020 has been a year like no other. In response to COVID-19 and other events, we increased our support to charitable organizations around the world. As we take time to reflect on the year, we are proud of the support we’ve provided to the communities in which we live and work.
In the United States, we partner with Feed the Children. We kicked off our year of giving in February with a donation of more than $10,000 that was collected during our annual Americold Leadership Conference. Each dollar donated helps Feed the Children provide $8 worth of food, essentials, and more to hungry children and families in the U.S. When the pandemic began, Feed the Children continued assisting the most vulnerable in our communities – those who rely on school meals and feeding programs to survive. To strengthen their efforts amid strained resources, Americold filled a critical need by providing Feed the Children with complimentary temperature-controlled transportation services. Our progress throughout the year is captured in this infographic.
In addition to food transportation services, Americold donated $100,000 to Feed the Children in the spring for COVID-19 relief activities. The organization used these funds to deliver food, water, and daily essentials (shampoo, laundry detergent, toothpaste) to families as well as facilitate drop-and-go operations for children without food during school closures.
This summer, Americold associates across the U.S. hosted a cash drive, the Americold PROUD to Support Feed the Children online fundraiser. They generated more than $10,000, supplementing more than 60,000 meals through the organization.
Every October, Americold supports breast cancer awareness, raising funds through various activities and raising consciousness at our sites by giving associates pink ribbon patches to wear. Each November, in conjunction with Veterans Day, our U.S. teams collect and donate hundreds of boxes of food and personal hygiene items. These items are distributed through HeroBox, a not-for-profit organization that sends custom care packages to men and women around the world who are serving in the military.
As part of our ongoing commitment to fight childhood hunger and provide resources for the local communities in which we operate, Americold and Feed the Children started a school pantry program earlier this month for at-risk students of Bloomingdale Elementary School. To celebrate both the pantry opening and Americold’s new temperature-controlled storage facility in Savannah, Georgia, we partnered with Feed the Children to host a food distribution event for 200 families in Bloomingdale and surrounding communities. Families received boxes of food, personal care products, school supplies, children’s books, and toys. As part of the pantry program, Americold will continue to deliver food, hygiene items, and school supplies into 2021 to build and maintain the school’s resources.
In December, Americold helped Farm Share, a Florida-based Feed the Children affiliate, identify nearly $10,000 worth of potential energy-related operational savings. We partnered with the food bank through our Energy Waste Walk program, which provides education and training around low-cost energy-saving solutions for non-profit organizations. The opportunities identified included improvements to refrigeration, HVAC, lighting, and other energy-intensive warehouse systems.
For the holiday season, Americold ran a holiday greeting card and calendar campaign benefitting Feed the Children. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the organization, resulting in another contribution of $10,000 from our associates in the U.S. The donation will help Feed the Children provide food and essentials to more than 300 families.
Globally, we connect with local organizations as part of our worldwide operations network. Americold started the year by donating $20 on behalf of every Australian associate - a contribution totaling $34,000 - to the Salvation Army to aid in the bushfire response. In June, Americold’s team in Australia made a donation of $11,000 in gift cards to the Salvation Army in Sydney to help those in need during COVID-19. The donation provided food, warm clothes, blankets, and other essentials. Our teams in Australia and New Zealand made an additional $15,000 donation this month to the Salvation Army to support the organization’s charitable efforts.
The giving didn’t stop there; Americold donated storage space in Australia to Fare Share, an organization fighting hunger and food waste. The non-for-profit organization collects food that would otherwise go to waste and prepares it into free meals for those in need.
Our associates are committed to serving the communities in which we live and work. In a year that has been filled with many challenges, Americold is proud to continue supporting those in need all over the world.