C&S Wholesale Grocers Announces National Support of FoodCorps

Commitment Will Expand Healthier School Food Programs

Keene, NH (Mar 7, 2015) — C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. announces its support of FoodCorps, a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who connect kids to real food and help them grow up healthy. The new partnership aligns with the company’s long-term commitment to address hunger – particularly among children – and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to its employees and facilities.

Support from C&S will enhance FoodCorps’ vision to give all children the opportunity to grow up in a vibrant, healthful food environment.

During 2015, the funding will focus on three areas:

• Connecting students in 16 states and the District of Columbia with new books that will expand their knowledge of food and nutrition. Each FoodCorps service member will receive a collection of books on topics such as gardening and trying new fruits and vegetables. The books will be shared with students pre-K and older through lessons and in school libraries.
• Raising awareness about child hunger and related issues through FoodCorps’ annual Victory Grower’s Award. The award will be given to the FoodCorps service member who creates the most compelling essay about issues surrounding child hunger that they have experienced during their service. A cash prize will support programming at the organization or school where the FoodCorps member serves or has previously served.
• Sponsoring a FoodCorps service member serving in Connecticut with a community-based organization near a C&S distribution center. This AmeriCorps leader will commit a year of paid public service to building healthy school food environments in limited-resource communities.

Rick Cohen, Chairman and CEO of C&S Wholesale Grocers, said, “FoodCorps has an innovative approach to reaching kids at-risk of hunger and teaching them, and their families, about the importance of eating healthy foods.  It’s impressive to us that this organization is changing what’s on kids’ plates.”

“C&S Wholesale Grocers has made an impressive commitment to making our schools healthier places for kids to learn and grow,” said Curt Ellis, co-founder and CEO of FoodCorps. “We are excited to collaborate with C&S to improve access to healthy food, increase nutrition education, and strengthen communities from the ground up.”

C&S will also join the FoodCorps Corporate Council, an assembly of corporate leaders who unite around the collective goal of a healthy future for all children. Current corporations represented on the council include Annie’s Homegrown, Bob’s Red Mill, Bon Appétit Management Company, The Honest Company, Honest Tea, and more. Information about the FoodCorps Corporate Council can be found at foodcorps.org/about/our-corporate-council.

ABOUT C&S WHOLESALE GROCERS, INC.

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., based in Keene, NH, is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and the industry leader in supply chain innovation. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 6,000 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 150,000 different products. To learn more, please visit www.cswg.com.

C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to fight hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company’s employees and facilities. To learn more: http://community.cswg.com.

ABOUT FOODCORPS

FoodCorps is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders who connect kids to real food and help them grow up healthy. These leaders are in limited-resource communities for a year of public service where they teach hands-on lessons about food and nutrition; build and tend school gardens, and teach cooking lessons; and help change what’s on lunch trays giving kids healthy food from local farms. Learn more at www.foodcorps.org.

###