America’s
Second Harvest – the nation’s largest food bank network – has
dispatched more than 1,200 truckloads containing nearly 37 million
pounds of food and grocery products to help the 1.1 million people
displaced by Hurricane Katrina. And those numbers climb daily.
This
creates a great need for food banks to be continually replenished. So
this holiday season, the ARAMARK team in the Pacific Northwest
coordinated its first regional food drive among all business units to
benefit more than eight local affiliates of America's Second Harvest.
Food banks across Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho and British
Columbia were the primary recipients of the Neighbor to Neighbor
Holiday Food Drive.
“We wanted to reach as many people as
possible and realized that our logistics capabilities within ARAMARK
Refreshment & Uniform Services was the key,” said Rick Martella,
Vice President of Corporate Affairs at ARAMARK. “We have realized that
an amazing opportunity exists in connecting our business units and
regional customers in order to make a difference in the lives of
thousands of hungry families this holiday season.”
About two
weeks ago, hundreds of clients across the in Pacific Northwest began
gathering donations. Some accounts got customers directly involved,
while others like the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle partnered with the
client.
“During the winter months, the Woodland Park Zoo doesn’t
have a steady flow of repeat customers, so we relied on the support of
our employees and the client to make our contributions,” said Cynthia
Ford, ARAMARK Office Manager at the zoo. “This was something that the
zoo was just as excited about because it aligns with their ongoing
mission to help the local community.”
Once all the collection
bins across the region were full, ARAMARK Refreshment Services and
ARAMARK Uniforms and Work Apparel route drivers picked up the donations
and brought them to a central drop off box at their market centers. All
of the gifts will be delivered later this week to food banks around the
northwest region.
“This was an ideal way for our market centers
to make a significant contribution,” said Chad Peterson, Assistant
General Manager, ARAMARK Uniform Services. “We already had the network
of drivers in place, so in exchange of dropping off their normal
uniform or refreshment services, they collected the items for the
needy.”
The scales are still tallying the total pounds of food
donated. No matter what the final number may be, the ARAMARK team in
the Pacific Northwest helped brighten the holiday season for many
people in need.
“We are setting the relationships and processes
in place for years to come,” said Martella. “Throughout 2006, our
Community Relations team will be working with all ARAMARK teams to
create signature community programs which capitalize on our core
resources and capabilities.”