(Naples, FL) – FiveStar Gourmet Foods has been crafting delicious, fresh and healthy products since 1999, and for the past four years has operated a state-of-the-art East Coast processing facility in Naples, Florida. FiveStar didn’t fully realize until now what an important grassroots contribution they would make in the local community.
Working with the Feeding America food bank network, FiveStar, the maker of Simply Fresh branded products—longtime consumer favorites—is now on the frontlines distributing fresh and wholesome foods directly to the community as part of a massive USDA-funded program known as “Farmers to Families.” FiveStar committed to providing hundreds of thousands of boxes filled with high quality, fresh, healthy products through the end of June. FiveStar’s Farmers to Families boxes include generous portions of Caesar Salad, Coleslaw Salad, Sweet Onion Broccoli Sauté Kit, Asian Stir-fry Kit, Almond Cranberry Salad, and Crisp Sliced Apples.
Distribution through local food banks, churches, parks, and community resource centers has been critical to getting the boxes “from truck to trunk” into the hands of families in need of fresh, wholesome food. “We have proudly served the Florida market for years, we are part of the community and at this moment we knew we had to take immediate action to help,” says Tal Shoshan CEO of FiveStar Gourmet Foods.
“When the opportunity to work with USDA on this amazing project came about it was an easy decision to make to help bring fresh foods from our farmers to the families that desperately need them. It is a win-win that aligns perfectly with our company’s mission each and every day. While not easy because of the massive scale of this project, and having only a few days to get it off the ground, it’s been very rewarding to know that our efforts will make a positive impact in so many lives, as well as helping our grower partners” says Shoshan.
One example of this orchestrated distribution effort with local food banks could be found at the South District Neighborhood Resource Unit (NRU) where officers braved adverse weather conditions to successfully distribute over 1,500 boxes to families. It was the collaborative partnership between Feeding Florida and FiveStar Gourmet Foods which played an integral part. Community partners at the True Deliverance Church along with the NRU were able to give the community what it needed most. {See attached images}
“Giving is in our nature. This is the right time and right thing for us to step up, and even more so in our local Florida communities, to be of greatest possible service,” says Shoshan.
