Food Lifeline is proud to announce that McKinstry is Food Lifeline’s Corporate Donor of the Month for March.
Shortly after consolidating operations and opening the Hunger Solution Center in South Park in the spring of 2016, McKinstry started leaning into our work and volunteering to help sort and repack donations as well as assisting at our South Park mobile food distributions. Despite putting volunteering on hold post-pandemic, McKinstry donated 107 hours in the first quarter of 2020. Since opening the new warehouse, McKinstry employees have donated nearly 1500 hours of their time in an effort to give back to the communities where they live and work.
McKinstry volunteers wrangle corn at the Hunger Solution Center
When the pandemic struck, Food Lifeline expanded into a second warehouse to meet the overwhelming need for food assistance. While McKinstry employees were not able to help sort and repack food because of covid restrictions, McKinstry was able to help with supplies and equipment for the second warehouse as well as funding to help equip the second warehouse and purchase food for emergency food boxes.
“When the pandemic hit, we had to move quickly,” explains Ellen Brown, Food Lifeline’s Director of Food Resources. “We were able to get the new warehouse fitted with supplies and completely set up in just a week. There is no way we could have accomplished that feat without the support of McKinstry. They brought us tables, walkie-talkies, stanchions, and more essential resources for getting our emergency food box operation up and moving. Plus, when we needed more, they sent more. We are so thankful for their support!”
“McKinstry is honored to receive this recognition from Food Lifeline,” said Ashley Ruiz, Diversity, Inclusion, & Community Relations Director at McKinstry. “We’ve been fortunate to partner with Food Lifeline over the years on many critical opportunities to address food insecurity in the local community – from sending our new hires to the warehouse to sort rescued food to regularly staffing a mobile food pantry at a local community health clinic to providing loaned equipment for an emergency setup to meet increased need resulting from the pandemic. McKinstry is grateful for and proud of the critical work that Food Lifeline does every day for our communities.”
We are so grateful for our partnership with McKinstry and everything they do to help us end hunger in our community!
