US Foods Donates Nearly $13M Toward Hunger Relief
US Foods Holding Corp., one of America’s largest foodservice distributors, has donated nearly $13 million in food and supplies, the equivalent of approximately 6 million meals or more than 265 truckloads of product, through its 2022 annual corporate hunger relief campaigns. Since 2007, the company has donated more than 165 million pounds of food and supplies to aid community hunger-relief efforts.
“As a national foodservice distributor, US Foods is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference in hunger-relief efforts across the country by donating our time and resources,” said David Works, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, US Foods. “We are humbled and grateful to give back to the communities where we live and work by harnessing the power of food to empower people in need with nourishment and opportunity, and thankful for the dedication of our outstanding associates who have participated in our annual hunger-relief campaigns.”
The company organized a variety of associate giving and volunteer campaigns throughout 2022 to support community hunger-relief efforts. Activities included a week-long “Spring into Service” campaign in which associates participated in various company-sponsored community service events, a Hunger Action Month campaign, and a month-long holiday “Giving Gratitude” campaign, dedicated to supporting communities struggling with food insecurity. As a result of these activities, more than 400,0002 meals were donated.
US Foods is committed to fighting hunger across the communities it serves by providing both financial contributions and product donations throughout the year to its longtime partner, Feeding America and its network of 200 food banks, as well as other hunger-relief nonprofits across the country.
“Feeding America is grateful for US Foods’ generosity,” said Lauren Biedron, vice president, corporate partnerships at Feeding America. “From financial donations to food and support from employees, they are helping to make a difference for many communities across the country.”
Additionally, US Foods donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross to support Hurricane Ian disaster-relief efforts in Florida and the surrounding areas. The company and its associates also provided food, supplies and logistics support to meal-packing events designed to help restaurant workers, first responders and communities impacted by natural disasters.
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Blue Diamond Growers Participates in Rose Parade
Blue Diamond Growers, the world’s leading almond marketer and processor, is participating in the 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda, an iconic annual event held in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan 2. For the fifth year in a row, the Sacramento-based co-op will honor the people and pollinators that make Blue Diamond almond products possible, highlighting the farmer-owned cooperative’s commitment to sustainability, pollinators, and biodiversity with a custom-built float brimming with fresh flowers and featuring Blue Diamond almond growers.
Meticulously built to honor the almond pioneer’s past, present, and future, Blue Diamond will charm Rose Parade spectators with a colorful float that pays tribute to not only the almonds that sustain its growers and nourish its consumers but also to the pollinators that are vital for their success.
“We’re thrilled to be back for the Rose Parade! This year’s float is an unparalleled representation of the passion and hard work of our Grower members,” said Raj Joshi, SVP global consumer division for Blue Diamond Growers. “We are incredibly honored to share this moment with the almond grower-owners riding our float, bringing the whole display to life, and our thousands of members who will be watching from home. Blue Diamond’s California legacy keeps growing thanks to them.”
Spectators will be charmed with the enormous representations of the brand’s Almond Breeze Almondmilk and the signature Smokehouse-flavored Blue Diamond Almonds, a rollercoaster and an animated, spinning Ferris wheel. As the float makes its way down the streets of Pasadena, Blue Diamond has been intentional in ensuring that one element stands out: the honeybees. By creating joyful bees from thousands of flowers, the Sacramento-based co-op reinforces its commitment to partnerships that support honeybee health, such as Project Apis m. and Pollinator Partnership, and its leadership in using pollinator-friendly plantings in growers’ orchards to advance biodiversity and climate-smart agriculture.
This year’s eye-catching design will consist of more than 20,000 flowers, including over 10,000 pink and orange roses, hundreds of gladiolas, lilies, and orchids as well as a variety of seeds, beans, and almond shells. The float will also feature a unique component: the heart and soul of Blue Diamond, its growers. Twelve almond growers will ride alongside the float, representing the more than 3,000 dedicated growers in the California co-op – making it one of the world’s leading agricultural co-ops.
Lovingly known as America’s New Year Celebration, the iconic Rose Parade is celebrating its 134th anniversary. With this year’s theme, “Turning the Corner,” Blue Diamond also takes an opportunity to celebrate what the new year means to them: the long-awaited almond bloom that happens every February in central California, signaling a new year for the almond cycle, and a renewed opportunity to keep growing a better tomorrow through innovative sustainable farming practices.
Nothing denotes turning the corner more for Blue Diamond than fragrant almond blossoms, well-cared-for crops, and healthy bees pollinating the trees that make almonds possible. Visit bluediamondgrowers.com/sustainability to learn how Blue Diamond is committed to biodiversity and pollinator health.
You can watch the Blue Diamond Growers float in the Rose Parade on Jan. 2, starting at 8 a.m. PST in Pasadena or broadcast on live television.
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33rd Annual MLK Holiday Breakfast Returns in Hybrid
General Mills and UNCF’s 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Holiday Breakfast will return in-person for the first time since 2020 with a corresponding virtual program. Former senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama, businesswoman and best-selling author Valerie Jarrett will share keynote remarks followed by a moderated conversation. The hybrid event will be held at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Jan. 16 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. CST. Tickets are available at MLKBreakfast.com.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast Organized by General Mills and United Negro College Fund, the Minneapolis event is one of the nation’s largest celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy and raises funds to help under-represented students in the Twin Cities successfully graduate from college. This year’s event theme is “Keep Moving Forward,” inspired by Dr. King’s leadership and lessons applied to the pressing social issues of today.
“Each year, this event gives us the opportunity to come together to reflect on the lasting legacy of Dr. King and how we can continue to advance the causes he fought for in our own communities,” said Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and global impact officer at General Mills. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a world that reflects Dr. King’s dream and to advancing a culture of equity, inclusion and belonging.”
General Mills and UNCF have a shared, long-standing commitment to addressing the need for deep, lasting changes to the systemic inequity faced by BIPOC communities. In honor of Dr. King, a 1948 graduate of Morehouse College, a historically Black college, proceeds from the event benefit UNCF Twin Cities’ MLK Legacy Scholarship, which supports local students of color to attend colleges and member Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Through this partnership, General Mills has provided nearly $7 million to support more than 400 programs and 37 academic institutions supported by UNCF.
“The legacy and words of Dr. King continue to inspire our advocacy for the importance of minority education and community engagement,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “We are grateful to work in partnership with General Mills to bring our community together each year and build up the essential support and awareness for our students and HBCUs.”
The annual holiday breakfast and support of UNCF remains a priority for General Mills as part of its enterprise-wide “G Stands for Good” purpose platform, which is rooted in two foundational pillars – planet and people – and guides the company’s goal of creating meaningful change, building a culture of belonging and taking action on issues of racial and social justice within our communities.
The MLK Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis continues to inspire change in the world and honor those individuals whose footprints uplift the community. Following the breakfast, members of the Twin Cities community can engage through a variety of learning and volunteer opportunities organized by Hands on Twin Cities. Learn more at https://www.handsontwincities.org/mlkday2023.
Jarrett is CEO and a member of the board of directors of the Barack Obama Foundation. She is also a senior distinguished fellow at The University of Chicago Law School and serves as board chair of Civic Nation and Co-Chair of The United State of Women.
Ms. Jarrett was the senior advisor to Obama from 2009-2017, making her the longest serving senior advisor to a president in history. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and vhaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward,” published in April 2019.
Entertainment will be provided by Minnesota’s four-sibling family band, Nunnabove. The group describes its sound as “positive alternative pop,” and appeared on “America’s Got Talent” in 2018. The group has since performed at Summerfest, the largest outdoor venue in the country and the Minnesota State Fair.
The event will also feature Minneapolis-based TKO Drumline, a dynamic musical group made up of young people from the north metro and north Minneapolis. The group was founded in 2010 by Byron Hawkins to teach drumming techniques and rudiments to young people ages 8-18. Since then, the group has performed on stages as small as the Minnesota State Fair and as large as the Super Bowl.
The annual holiday breakfast began when UNCF and General Mills joined together in 1991 to host a community celebration to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Past speakers include Dr. Bernice King, Ambassador Andrew Young, the Honorable Eric H. Holder, CNN’s Laura Coates and Don Lemon, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, actor David Oyelowo, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Yolanda King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Marian Wright Edelman, Donna Brazile, Vernon Jordan and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
This event is made possible by co-hosts General Mills and UNCF, and presenting sponsor Best Buy. Additional support has been generously provided by 3M, Ameriprise, Andersen Corporation, BI Worldwide, Cargill, Carlson Family Foundation, CHS, Delta Dental of Minnesota, Ecolab, Medtronic, Medtronic Foundation, Minnesota Timberwolves & Lynx, North Memorial, Pentair, Sleep Number, Star Tribune, Target, Thrivent, United Health Group, Wells Fargo, and Xcel Energy.
To purchase tickets for the hybrid event or for more information, visit MLKBreakfast.com. All proceeds from ticket sales and sponsorships will be dedicated to UNCF Twin Cities student scholarships. For the first time, both in-person and virtual tickets will be available to better accommodate the participation preferences of all attendees. The live and virtual events also strive to provide accessible experiences for all and will include an ASL interpreter and closed-caption translations in four languages.
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