US Foods, Military Family Advisory Network Join Forces to Address Food Insecurity Disproportionately Impacting More Than 25 Percent of Active-Duty Military Families
July 09 2024 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Company Contributes $250,000 to Support
Innovative Pantry Restock and Fresh Funds Stipends Programs,
Providing Military Families with Stigma-Free Hunger Relief
US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD), one of America’s largest
foodservice distributors, today announced a national partnership
with the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) with a $250,000
monetary contribution. The collaboration is part of the company’s
“Helping Communities Make It” program, which seeks to empower
communities in need through hunger-relief, culinary education and
disaster relief. This is the company’s first national hunger relief
partnership supporting military families, a group
disproportionately impacted by food insecurity1. US Foods selected
MFAN based on the nonprofit’s innovative program, the MFANetwork,
which connects military families to critical resources, through
collaborative, impact-driven and authentic community
engagements.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240709645533/en/
US Foods presents check to MFAN for
program support. Pictured left to right: Jennifer Castillo - US
Foods, Jenece Upton - US Foods, Shannon Razsadin - MFAN, John Posey
- US Foods, and Kristen Beattie - MFAN. (Photo: Business Wire)
“At US Foods, we are uniquely positioned to harness the power of
food to empower communities in need with nourishment and
opportunity,” said Dave Flitman, CEO. “As part of a military
family, I am particularly proud to expand our efforts to support
the military community, which makes immeasurable sacrifices for our
freedom. We are honored to partner with an innovative and deeply
committed organization like MFAN, and I look forward to our
collaboration.”
“MFAN’s latest survey shows that those who moved within the last
two years (41.1%) and active-duty families (21.5%) are among those
most commonly experiencing food insecurity,” Shannon Razsadin,
chief executive officer for Military Family Advisory Network.
“Thanks to generous partners like US Foods, we are providing
dignified support through innovative, scalable, and measurable
solutions. These collaborative initiatives show military families
that they are not alone and that their service and sacrifice are
seen and appreciated—and that truly matters.”
According to MFAN’s 2023 Military Family Support Programming
Survey2, more than a quarter of active-duty military families
(27.7%) have experienced food insecurity and more than half (54.8%)
of respondents reported moving within the past two years due to
military orders. In support of MFAN’s commitment to providing
convenient access points to alleviate military food insecurity, the
partnership will support the following programmatic efforts:
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Pantry Restock Box:
Military families move, on average, every two and a half years, and
each move comes with a tangible cost, including restocking the
pantry. MFAN will distribute 500 PCS Pantry Restock Boxes per month
designed to get families started in their new homes with essential
items typically discarded with each move. This is a low-barrier and
stigma-free access point that connects families to the support they
need at a time when they are vulnerable. Each box includes a QR
code that allows military families to learn about their local
communities and enables MFAN to learn about their needs.
- Fresh Funds Grocery Support: If a family identifies as
food insecure through the USDA Six-Item Short Form Food Security
Scale screening from the Pantry Restock Box survey, MFAN will
support these families with Instacart® Health Fresh Funds stipends.
Families can use the Fresh Funds stipends to purchase nutritious
food and other essentials from the local retailer of their choice,
including H-E-B, Walmart and more. The Fresh Funds can also be used
to cover delivery costs so busy military families spend more time
settling into their new communities and less time traveling to the
store.
Additionally, US Foods recently served as a premier ‘Healthy
Bodies’ sponsor of MFAN’s Solutions Summit on June 27, where
policymakers, military advocates, and corporate partners developed
actionable solutions for the military and veteran community.
US Foods has a long-standing history of supporting associates
who have served or are serving our country. The company’s 7-year
partnership with The Hire Purpose specifically supports the
recruitment of transitioning service members, veterans and military
spouses. In addition, the company’s “Those Who Serve” Employee
Resource Group offers networking and professional development
opportunities for veteran colleagues.
For more information about the company’s other strategic
initiatives and its commitment to Helping Communities Make It,
visit www.usfoods.com/community.
1 Strengthening Food Security in the Force: Strategy and
Roadmap. July 2022. Office of the Under Secretary for Personnel
& Readiness, U.S. Department of Defense. 2 2023 Military Family
Support Programming Survey. June 2024. Military Family Advisory
Network.
About US Foods
With a promise to help its customers Make It, US Foods is one of
America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice
distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and
foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With more
than 70 broadline locations and approximately 90 cash and carry
stores, US Foods and its 30,000 associates provides its customers
with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite
of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. US Foods is
headquartered in Rosemont, Ill. Visit www.usfoods.com to learn
more.
About Military Family Advisory
Network
The Military Family Advisory Network envisions a world where all
military-connected families are empowered to thrive. MFAN’s mission
is to understand and amplify the needs of military-connected
families and inspire data-informed change. Visit mfan.org.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240709645533/en/
Sara Matheu Senior Director of Media Relations 773-580-3775
Sara.Matheu@usfoods.com Derek Doyle Director of Public Affairs
Military Family Advisory Network 301-676-3882 doyle@mfan.org
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