For Immediate Release: April 16, 2009 Contact: Eddie Owens, United Supermarkets, 806.788.4863 or 806.928.0462
Zack Wilson, High Plains Food Bank, 806.374.8562 or 806.223.3372
United Supermarkets, High Plains Food Bank
Join Forces for “Fresh Recovery” Program
AMARILLO – United Supermarkets and the High Plains Food Bank (HPFB) announced today the establishment of a “Fresh Recovery” store pick-up program which will provide needy families access to fresh food from United’s eight Amarillo and Canyon locations.
Through the program United will donate fresh meat, produce, deli items and dairy products that are still usable but are approaching the “sell by” date. Donated products are pulled from stores’ shelves and stored at the proper temperature. Each day HPFB refrigeration trucks will pick up the donated items from the seven Amarillo stores and one Canyon store and return it to the food bank. The food will then be distributed to
HPFB clients within 24 hours.
United launched a similar program with Lubbock’s High Plains Food Bank in January.
“This is a wonderful program that will allow us to provide more and more people with fresh food,” said Janie Singleton, the food bank’s executive director. “The food donations will help fill in the gaps of hunger with nutritious, tasty options for those in need.”
Food bank trucks already are picking up donated food from United’s S. Washington and 45th and Bell stores, its Market Street store on S. Georgia, and its Canyon location at 201 N 23rd.
Two other local United stores – at 5601 W. Amarillo Blvd. and 3400 River Road – will join the program next week, and the remaining United locations (1501 Amarillo Blvd. East and I-40 and Grand) will follow suit the following two weeks.Donated products include fluid milk products, eggs, chilled prepared salads and deli-prepared chilled wrapped sandwiches, raw beef and lunch meat, prepackaged bags of fresh leafy greens, bananas, and prepackaged fruits and vegetables.
HPFB anticipates the program will yield more than 5,000 pounds of fresh food to the food bank each week.
High Plains Food Bank currently provides more than 6,000 meals per week to families in need. “This fresh food will be a wonderful sight to all recipients as fresh food is hard and expensive to access – especially for families struggling to make ends meet,” Singleton said.
Everyone who will be receiving the food can rest assured that the food is safe for consumption.
“We want to make sure that everyone is safe when consuming food,” Singleton said. “United Supermarkets and HPFB will be following very detailed guidelines for picking up the food and food safety once it reaches the food bank.”
“These local efforts are in concert with the program developed recently by Feeding America and the Conference for Food Protection that allows for foods requiring refrigeration to be safely distributed to charity using refrigerated vehicles,” explained Cheryn Hargrave, food safety specialist for United Supermarkets, LLC.
“Words cannot express how grateful we are to United Supermarkets for helping each and every person in need in the Texas Panhandle through this program,” Singleton said. “United has shown time and time again its desire to make our communities better places to live.”