CHICAGO, June 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lactalis USA announces a partnership with Feeding America® to further their shared commitment to ending hunger, increasing access to nutritious dairy products and strengthening local communities. In celebration of National Dairy Month, Lactalis is committing to help provide the equivalent of 1.5 million meals to people facing hunger, along with additional product donation and initiatives for employee volunteerism and giving. Lactalis USA – part of Lactalis, a family company and the world leader in dairy – offers an unrivaled range of beloved international and local brands.
Feeding America, part of a nationwide network of over 200 partner food banks, is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Lactalis and Feeding America will team up to conduct employee volunteer events. Donations raised through this partnership will directly serve the communities represented by all 17 Lactalis USA locations where employees live and work.
“As a dairy industry leader, providing access to delicious and nutritious products to our neighbors in need is central to who we are,” said Esteve Torrens, chief executive officer, Lactalis USA. “This partnership represents a collaboration of business and non-profit to help make a positive difference in local communities across the United States. We’re proud to begin this partnership with Feeding America to help end hunger in our communities while advancing Lactalis’ global purpose of ‘Nurturing the Future’.”
Lactalis USA has a history of supporting the Feeding America network and fundraising initiatives. This includes the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, through which Lactalis raised nearly $50,000 in 2023, providing more than 450,000 meals for people facing hunger. Following the tragic mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2022, Lactalis also donated more than 100,000 pounds of dairy products to FeedMore WNY to support community members impacted by the store’s temporary closure. Additionally, Lactalis is running a campaign in Arizona and southern California, donating a carton of Parmalat® Milk to local food banks for every carton sold. Lactalis USA sites regularly support nearby food banks through product donations, employee collection drives and volunteer events. These efforts will increase through this partnership.
“We are so grateful for partners like Lactalis USA,” said Lauren Biedron, Feeding America’s senior vice president of corporate partnerships. “Their support will have a far-reaching impact on local food banks and their surrounding communities in addressing hunger.”
“Dairy products are some of the top-requested items by neighbors at food banks but least donated,” said Jerod Matthews, Feeding America’s senior director of commodity foods. “They complement other staples – like cereal, bread and pasta – that neighbors receive and provide nutrients that might be missing in their diets. Thanks to our work with Lactalis USA, we can help ensure more communities have access to the nutritious food and resources they need to thrive.”
About Lactalis USA
Lactalis USA is committed to enriching lives by producing nutritious and great tasting dairy products. The company offers an unrivaled house of beloved dairy brands in the United States in the United States including Galbani® Italian cheeses, Président® specialty cheeses and gourmet butters, Kraft® brands in natural and grated cheeses, Breakstones® cottage cheese, ricotta and sour cream, Cracker Barrel® cheese, Black Diamond® cheddar cheese, Parmalat® milk, siggi’s® and Stonyfield Organic® yogurt brands. In the United States the company has approximately 4,000 employees, is present in eight states with 11 manufacturing facilities and corporate offices located in New York City and Buffalo, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., Bedford, N.H., and San Fernando, Calif. Lactalis USA is part of Lactalis Group, the world’s leading dairy company, a French family business founded in 1933 in Laval, France.
For more information, visit https://lactalisamericangroup.com/, www.lactalisheritagedairy.com, www.lactalisyogurtusa.com and www.karouncheese.com. Follow Lactalis USA on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment.
We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.
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Don Heins Lactalis USA don.heins@us.lactalis.com
