C&S Wholesale Grocers Collaborates with Summer Meals Programs

 C&S Wholesale Grocers has donated paper goods to support summer meals programs for kids since 2011. While the company originally sought to donate food, it quickly became apparent that summer meals programs, the types of food served, and the reimbursement processes are structured, complex, and differ from place to place, company officials say. 

C&S decided to fill a niche by donating products for which the programs are not typically reimbursed—the paper goods needed to serve meals, including plates, napkins, cups, bowls, and bags. By receiving a donation of paper goods, the summer meals programs can allocate resources to reach more kids and offer additional enrichment, according to company officials. 

For the past six years, the company has provided donated paper products to an estimated 797 summer meal sites, reaching 47,000 children from low-income families. In all, more than 7,800 cases of items have been donated, helping to make approximately 1.8 million meals possible. 

This year, C&S expanded support to summer meals sites where the company has a presence and partnered with the following nonprofit organizations in 11 states: Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties; Foodshare; Feeding America Tampa Bay; Feeding Northeast Florida; Feeding South Florida; Hawaii Food Bank; Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana; Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans; Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania; Food Bank of Western Massachusetts; The Community Kitchen; ConVal School District; Harvest Hope Food Bank; Lowcountry Food Bank; and Vermont Food Bank.

Additionally, C&S provided support to four national nonprofit organizations: Feeding America; Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry; FoodCorps; and First Book.