C.H. Robinson Collaborates in Twin Cities Food Fight

C.H. Robinson has teamed up with Twin Cities NBC affiliate KARE 11 to create a one-day food and fund drive called the KARE 11 Food Fight. The unique collaboration aims to fight hunger in Minnesota with all donations benefitting Second Harvest Heartland. The Twin Cities Food Fight, which takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 25 from 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m., pits four KARE 11 anchors – Belinda Jensen, Julie Nelson, Eric Perkins and Randy Shaver – against each other in a friendly competition to see which can collect the most food. During the 2013 Food Fight, more than 860,000 pounds of food was collected. As a co-creator of the event, C.H. Robinson staffs each location throughout the day and provides the transportation needed to collect the donations and deliver them to Second Harvest Heartland. Since 1905, C.H. Robinson has served the food industry through the company’s logistics services and produce business brand, Robinson Fresh. In addition, preventing hunger and providing food assistance are charitable priorities of the C.H. Robinson Foundation. By staffing the Food Fight, and providing employee donations and a monetary gift from the Foundation, C.H. Robinson will donate over 200 volunteer hours and more than 25,000 pounds of food for the event. “The Food Fight is a creative, fun and festive way for local residents and companies to give back to their own community,” says Angie Freeman, vice president of human resources at C.H. Robinson. “Each donation, large or small, allows us to take another step forward in preventing hunger, especially during the holiday season.” As one of the nation’s largest food banks, Second Harvest Heartland serves more than 530,000 people each year, 33% of whom are individuals younger than 18 years old. The donations from the Food Fight also lessen the economic burden of purchasing food, since 84% of Second Harvest Heartland clients earn less than $30,000 per year. For every 1.2 pounds of food donated, Second Harvest Heartland can provide one meal to those Minnesotans experiencing the stress of hunger. The community-wide competition encourages individuals, companies and groups to bring food and cash donations to one of the designated locations: Whole Foods in Maple Grove, Byerly’s in Minnetonka, Cub Foods in Eagan and Kowalski’s in Woodbury. Special guests and fun activities will be at all four locations throughout the day. Individuals can also follow the progress of the event through social media by tracking the following hashtags: #KARE11FoodFight, #TeamBel, #TeamJulie, #TeamPerk and #TeamRandy. For those unable to attend the event, online donations can be made at Second Harvest Heartland’s website.