LAKEVILLE, Minn. (May 14, 2024) – During National Volunteer Month in April, Post Consumer Brands employees from across 17 U.S. and Canadian locations came together as part of the company’s third annual Ingredients for Good initiative to provide nearly 77,000 meals for local families facing food insecurity. 16,500 packs to support pets were also assembled to align with the recent acquisitions of several pet food brands.
“To stay true to our purpose to make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all, our ‘Ingredients for Good’ employee volunteer initiative expanded this year to provide meals for both families and pets in need,” said Nicolas Catoggio, president and chief executive officer of Post Consumer Brands. “With more locations and volunteers participating than in previous years, I am proud to share that we have made the biggest impact yet.”
In the current economic environment, food insecurity remains a major issue in the U.S. and Canada, especially for communities of color, children and seniors, who are affected at a much higher rate. According to Feeding America, its estimated that more than 40 million people in the United States and Canada live in food-insecure households. If families and individuals are struggling with hunger, their pets are too. PetSmart Charities reported that 30 million pets in the U.S. face hunger every year.
Throughout the month of April, more than 1,300 Post Consumer Brands employees volunteered nearly 1,600 hours to service projects. Hands-on projects included assembling meal packs, serving meals, volunteering at pet shelters and more. Projects at 11 Post locations focused on supplying communities of color with culturally relevant ingredients in collaboration with United Way’s Flavors of Our Community initiative assembling meal and pet packs to be distributed to local nonprofits.
In addition to volunteer support, the company invested $275,000 in its local communities to help increase food access for the whole family.
The 17 locations taking part in this year’s Ingredients for Good initiative were Asheboro, North Carolina; Battle Creek, Michigan; Bentonville, Arkansas; Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, Cobourg, Ontario; Jonesboro, Arkansas; Lakeville, Minnesota; Lancaster, Ohio; Lawrence, Kansas; Meadville, Pennsylvania; Niagara Falls, Ontario; Northfield, Minn.; Orrville, Ohio; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sparks, Nevada; Toronto; and Tremonton, Utah. Remote employees from across North America also volunteered their time during the month to support local nonprofits in the communities where they live and work.
Check out the video below for a recap of this year’s efforts:
About Post Consumer Brands’ ‘Ingredients for Good’ Volunteer Initiative
As a company dedicated to feeding families, Post Consumer Brands believes it’s our responsibility to help those facing food insecurity. We also strongly believe in creating a culture where volunteering and giving back is core to what we do. Our “Ingredients for Good” volunteer initiative is an opportunity for Post Consumer Brands team members to come together and do even more to help families in need put food on their tables and feed their pets. In its first two years, Post Consumer Brands’ employees put in 1,660 volunteer hours and donated or packed more than 88,000 meals across all of the company’s locations.