Milwaukee, WI — As part of the inaugural donation made on behalf of the Growing Forward™ with Feeding America® campaign, RPE, Inc. donated 40,000 pounds of potatoes, delivered to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s food bank on Monday afternoon.
Distributing more than 22 million pounds of food each year, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is the state’s largest food bank and a member of the Feeding America® nationwide network of food banks. Its two distribution centers help alleviate food insecurity by providing meals to the eastern half of Wisconsin.
“Our company prides itself on a strong commitment to giving back to our community. It’s rewarding to know our potatoes will help those facing hunger across the state,” says Marketing Manager, Melissa Sylte.
The 40,000 pound donation is based on consumer participation in RPE’s Lock Out Hunger promotion, which ran during the holiday season. As part of the promotion, which was exclusive to RPE’s Old Oak Farms brand, RPE donated 10 pounds of potatoes for every code that was entered online from specially-marked Kwik Lok tags.
“Our Lock Out Hunger promotion was very successful, and we’re already considering additional opportunities through Growing Forward™ to engage our consumers in the fight against hunger,” noted Sylte.
The Growing Forward™ with Feeding America® campaign was developed specifically for companies in the produce industry to distribute more fresh fruits and vegetables to Feeding America member food banks across the United States. It provides a unique opportunity for brands to highlight local efforts while aligning with the national organization, Feeding America. Through customized or joint promotions, fresh produce companies can utilize the campaign to reach both retailers and consumers while helping feed more families in need.
“RPE is a family-owned Wisconsin farm that shares our values of providing healthy and nutritious food to families,” said Charles McLimans, president and CEO of Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “We are able to provide locally grown, healthy foods to thousands of people each day who benefit from strong community partnerships like this one.”
About RPE
RPE, Inc., a third-generation family farming operation, is a category leader and key grower/shipper of potatoes and onions year-round. RPE takes pride in maintaining a high level of business integrity that includes commitments to environmental sustainability, category innovation and retail solutions.
Learn more at http://www.OldOakFarms.com/
http://www.TastefulSelections.com/ and http://www.RPEproduce.com/.
About Growing Forward™ with Feeding America®
Growing Forward™ is a year-round cause marketing campaign developed by McDill Associates for companies in the produce industry to align with Feeding America® through a shared commitment to help fight hunger and provide more fresh fruits and veggies to local Feeding America member food banks nationwide. The program is managed by McDill Associates and officially launched in 2015. Learn more at www.joingrowingforward.com.
About Feeding America®
Feeding America® is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, they provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people they serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger.™ Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.
About Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
377,000 people in eastern Wisconsin rely on food supplied by Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin each year. The food bank is the largest, private, nonprofit distributor of food in the state. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin distributes more than 22 million pounds of food annually to more than 500 food pantries, meal programs and shelters throughout eastern Wisconsin. Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is a member of Feeding America, which is consistently ranked as one of the most efficient charities, out of the country’s 100 largest charities, by Forbes magazine. Since 1982, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin has distributed more than 330 million pounds of food. To learn more about hunger in Wisconsin, visit www.feedingamericawi.org.
Source: RPE, Inc.
