The processor is partnering with food banks to help provide the meals to families on the West Coast, and in Louisiana and Alabama.
“COVID-19 has touched the very fabric of American life,” said Foster Farms’ VP of Communications Ira Brill. “As a company, we have always felt a responsibility to support to our communities in times of adversity. Food banks are on front lines of ensuring that hunger is not an added result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
According to Jaclyn Pack, food acquisitions manager for the Central California Food Bank in Fresno, California, the coronavirus has resulted in a 50% increase in local need. “The effect of COVID-19 on our communities has been devastating. We are grateful to Foster Farms for its generous donation and continued support in bringing protein to Central Valley families that find themselves in dire circumstances,” said Pack.
Blake Young, CEO of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services added that families who have never sought help combined with pre-existing need is putting a strain on food banks. “Food banks are struggling to source food donations, dollars and volunteers. Foster Farms is helping us close the gap.”
Foster Farms said it is maintaining its production facilities in California, Oregon, Washington, Louisiana and Alabama, and will be leveraging its resources to expedite relief efforts.
The National Chicken Council recently praised poultry processors for their efforts to keep staff safe during the coronavirus pandemic and called on the government for more support to be given to those working in the food industry.
