An Aramark Correctional Services program that helps people send gift packages to justice-impacted individuals has been expanded to create a more meaningful experience with loved ones during in-person visits.
Through iCare® Visitation, family members and friends can pre-order meals to be delivered and shared with their incarcerated loved ones on the day of their visit. The program is currently being piloted at 16 facilities within the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (DRC).
Aramark expects more client locations to adopt the program in the future as more in-person visits are allowed in facilities.
“iCare Visitation helps people connect and share a meal together in a way that is more reminiscent of life beyond prison,” said Tim Barttrum, President and CEO, Aramark Correctional Services. “Any connection to an inmate’s support system ultimately leads to more positive outcomes once the individual is released.”
Menu items for iCare Visitation currently include a selection of on-trend favorites, such as burgers, wings, pizza, and snacks. All meals are served with potato tots and cookies.
The Aramark team plans to expand the iCare Visitation menu to include more children’s meal options, along with holiday and other special events promotions.
As of late summer 2022, more than 5,400 iCare Visitation meals had been purchased by nearly 1,400 people.
In-person visitation meals are an expansion of Aramark’s iCare gifts program, which has been helping friends and family send packaged, name brand snacks and fresh meals to their loved ones since 2005.
Anyone can log onto iCare, look up the participating facility and justice-impacted individual, and pick from a wide selection of available gifts from brands they know and that fit any budget to let the friend or family member know they are thinking about them. All care packages and fresh meals are pre-approved by the facility.
“The funny thing that the men have been complaining about is to have a bigger table because the meals are so big,” said Warden Keith Foley, Grafton Correctional Institution, about the Ohio DRC Visitation Meals. “I truly believe that this opportunity to have a great meal with their loved ones has greatly enriched their relationships.”
Building a Path for Second Chances
Aramark is working to break the cycle of recidivism by positively impacting the lives of individuals in the correctional facilities it serves through food, training, jobs, and community initiatives.
“As a provider in corrections, we have the opportunity to change lives, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said Tim Barttrum, President and CEO, Aramark Correctional Services. “We see the impact on an individual’s future in our clients’ facilities every day by recognizing their potential and using food as a tool to realize it.”
Learn more about Aramark Correctional Services.
