Corporate social responsibility – we don’t just give it lip service at Crown. We’re dedicated to living our corporate values through socially and environmentally responsible practices and having a positive impact on the communities in which we work. One of our major initiatives is our commitment to fight against hunger in North America.
In partnership with the non-profit organization Move for Hunger, we pick up unwanted, unopened food from those who are relocating and deliver it to local food banks. Through this partnership, Crown New York was recently contacted by CUMAC for assistance in their 2014 Action Against Hunger Food Drive.
CUMAC (Center of United Methodist Aid to the Community/Ecumenically Concerned Helping Others (CUMAN/ECHO) runs Passaic County, New Jersey’s largest food pantry and multiple programs dedicated to alleviating hunger and poverty in Paterson, Passaic County and northern New Jersey. They have served the community for over 30 years. The name shows that while they are an urban mission of the United Methodist Church, they serve all people in need without discrimination.
Crown New York was eager to lend a hand for the food drive. On Sunday, October 5, we provided two big Crown trucks and the help of four volunteers: Fernando Suriel, Ryan Raghunanan, William Buenano and Clint Bradshaw.
The food drive was a huge success: the event attracted 280 volunteers and a fleet of 10 trucks; the hard-working volunteers provided 975 hours of labor to collect food at 34 sites. After the food was collected, it was then sorted for distribution, supplying a remarkable 27,000 pounds of provisions to 17 area pantries. These efforts will provide food for over 18,760 individuals this month. This is a commitment to CSR on a very big – and very humbling – scale.
Lynne Bruger, Development Director, CUMAC, shared her appreciation, saying, “Thank you again for your generous donation of time and trucking. The food you helped move is already helping to fill empty pantries and hungry bellies in northern NJ.”
It was such an honor to assist in this endeavor to have a positive impact on our local communities.