McLane Global getting meals out to rural children
McLane Global, a supply chain and logistics company that also manufactures private brand products in categories like dry prepared foods, meal mixes, pasta sides, macaroni and cheese, and more, is working to deliver 1 million meals a week to rural children who are missing school during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Houston-based company is reaching out to rural school districts to enroll their school with the organization MealsToYou.org, which is helping to deliver free meals to children at home through its “Emergency Meals-To-You Partnership.”
Joining McLane Global in the partnership is PepsiCo, the USDA, the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and others helping to prepare shelf-stable, nutritious meals and get them out to students. Deliveries have already been made, and all partners are working together to reach a goal of providing more than 1 million meals across rural America.
The meals consist of milk, cereal bowls, snacks, entrees, fruit cups and juices all for one student. Schools often have kids pick up meals that were dropped off at school to encourage social distancing, but students in rural areas are having a tougher time getting meals and need them delivered.
Melissa Hunter, director of marketing, McLane Global said the whole family at the company knows how important the program is. "Every box that leaves our warehouse has a name on it, a child’s name. This is personal. And each and every box contains food, but it also contains hope."
The company said its production is going 24/7 at its plants in Texas, California and Utah to help meet the hefty goal of providing one million meals a week.
"Companies big and small have a role to play in helping our nation through this difficult period, and we're honored to work with our partners to help meet this challenge for kids across America who would otherwise go hungry," said Denton McLane, chairman of McLane Global.