Written by Julianne Foster
Earlier this year, Gold Star Foods Inc. and CityServe formed a unique partnership to help feed the last mile of families in need in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program.
This program has been successful with the support of CityServe, a faith-based nonprofit, since the beginning of the pandemic. This partnership between CityServe and Gold Star Food Inc. allowed 232,116 boxes of produce to be delivered to families in need in Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming between July 2 and September 18.
With CityServe’s established HUBs and PODs and Gold Star Foods large-scale operations, deep supplier relationships and expertise in the nutrition supply chain has allowed the partnership to distribute food efficiently and safely during times of crisis.
“Households living in the ‘Last Mile of Need’ are now able to have food for their families because Gold Star, a private business, was willing to utilize the faith community as a distribution arm of the food box program,” said CityServe Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Donaldson. “It’s been incredible to see what can be accomplished when private enterprise and the public sector work with the faith community.”
Although the pandemic has caused a lot of difficulties across the country, it has given many the chance to rise up and help others in need and create a bond between people and organizations to serve communities.
The program has fed hundreds of thousands of families across the country who are financially unable to provide for themselves due to the economic shutdown in response to COVID-19. It has also made some improvements in the economy by supporting essential farms and securing agricultural jobs. CityServe and Gold Star Foods saw the opportunity to serve communities through this program and it has had an incredibly positive impact on insecure households, especially in underserved regions.
