Food for thought

Bill Toler, CEO, AdvancePierre Foods

In pressing times like today, where a large percentage of the American population relies on food stamps and the demand for food assistance is on the rise, AdvancePierre Foods and CEO Bill Toler responded to the need of families across the country with an inaugural companywide Volunteer Day last summer.
AdvancePierre Foods is a manufacturer of value-added proteins, philly steaks and handheld sandwiches. The company’s employees gathered on August 17 last year to partner with the Freestore Foodbank and Hamilton Living Waters Ministry Inc. to help with worthwhile projects and celebrate commitment to supporting communities where employees work, live and raise their families.
At the corporate headquarters in Cincinnati, volunteers packaged take-home food items for nearly 500 needy children as part of the PowerPack program. PowerPack provides kid-friendly, shelf-stable foods for children on Friday afternoons to ensure they have something to eat over the weekend.
The company’s volunteers also went to the Hamilton Living Waters Ministry Inc. to help get the facility ready for fall activities through yard work, panting and organizing. Living Waters works to make a positive impact on the lives of at risk children, youth and families in Hamilton’s inner city by offering academic, community and spiritual enrichment programs.
AdvancePierre didn’t just help those in need within Cincinnati. The company had hundreds of volunteers from facilities across the country donate their time to local food banks, food pantries and various food distribution sites to ensure that families receive the proper nourishment that they need.
Volunteer activities included packaging items for child feeding programs, assisting in mobile food pantry distribution, organizing and sorting items at food pantry warehouses, and fixing up local facilities with painting and maintenance projects. If all of that wasn’t enough, the company also donates thousands of pounds of product. In association with Volunteer Day, the company donated 21,000 pounds of burgers and ribs.
HOW TO REACH: AdvancePierre Foods, (800) 969-2747 or www.advancepierre.com