Kids Should Not Go Hungry: C&S Wholesale Grocers Takes Steps to Address a Growing Problem

PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 15, 2009 - Keene, NH - - C&S Wholesale Grocers is proud to announce new investments in two national nonprofit organizations: Feeding America and Share our Strength. The additional funds will help to address the growing problem of hunger in children. A USDA study released last month revealed that a staggering 1 in 4 children in the United States is living in a household that is food insecure. The trends indicate that the company’s commitment to the issue of childhood hunger is both timely and needed.

“Making a difference for families and children who are living in poverty, or who find themselves now on the edges of poverty, is something that C&S Wholesale Grocers feels compelled to do. Our company and employees take seriously being a catalyst for change, especially regarding the issue of childhood hunger,” noted Gina Goff, Director of Community Involvement at C&S.

The C&S investment in Feeding America focuses on the BackPack Program, a program that fills the food gap on weekends and vacations for children whose families do not have enough food. Feeding America’s goal is to double the number of children served from coast-to-coast, in cities, suburbs and rural communities during the next five years. Support is for general program operations and expanding public awareness through a campaign on National Public Radio. The goal of the campaign is to inspire millions of educated, affluent and influential listeners around the country to learn more and to take action on behalf of kids. A special BackPack webpage has been launched at http://www.feedingamerica.org/backpack.

For Share Our Strength, C&S support includes:
•   Sponsoring the organization’s 25th annual Conference of Leaders which brought together several hundred hunger activists from across the country.
•   Underwriting for Hunger in America’s Classrooms: Teachers Report
(http://www.strength.org/teachers). This first of its kind report included data from a formal national survey of teachers, many of whom witness daily the impact of childhood hunger. The Report will be shared with key community leaders, politicians and members of the media involved in the debate over the Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
•   Establishing an Innovation Fund to engage the nation in the fight against childhood hunger by discovering and supporting organizations that are creatively and effectively eliminating the barriers that lead to hunger.

About C&S
C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. is a privately owned company with annual sales of $19 billion. The company is the 12th largest privately held company in the nation, as ranked by Forbes magazine. Founded in 1918, C&S provides distribution services to grocery chains and independent stores, delivering to approximately 4,600 locations from its distribution centers in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Vermont.
C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to stop hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company's employees and facilities. To learn more: http://community.cswg.com.