CP Food Rescue Partnership
COCOA PACKS ANNOUNCES FOOD RESCUE PARTNERSHIP WITH HERSHEY ENTERTAINMENT AND RESORTS TO BENEFIT CHILDREN IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
Cocoa Packs, a Hershey-based non-profit organization serving more than 1,400 food insecure children year-round, through partnerships with local school districts, has announced a new partnership with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company (HE&R) through its Cocoa Packs Food Rescue program.
According to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 62% of the 34,000 Dauphin County children who will head back to public schools this fall are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch and experience some level of food insecurity. By partnering with the culinary teams across HE&R food-service operations including Hershey Lodge, The Hotel Hershey, Hersheypark Entertainment Complex, Hershey Country Club, and more, Cocoa Packs Food Rescue is now receiving fresh surplus food from the organization’s dining outlets. All food donated will directly benefit the children enrolled in Cocoa Packs each week and establishes an unprecedented food recovery partnership in the Hershey area.
Cocoa Packs Founder and President Christine Drexler stated, “We are incredibly grateful for our continued partnership with Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, who have continuously supported us since day one. Their extraordinary generosity through this venture with Cocoa Packs Food Rescue is truly a game changer for us and will definitely impact our ability to assist additional children. Thanks to this partnership, we are able to add new healthy fresh food options in our weekly Cocoa Packs. Not only is this a better opportunity for the children, but it also benefits the organization by reducing pack costs. We will also be able to enhance our educational offerings. When we intentionally lead with LOVE and compassion for one another a lifelong impact is made.”
Food rescue is extremely effective because it simultaneously helps get food to those who need it most, reduces food waste, and serves as an opportunity for local food service providers in the area to partner with Cocoa Packs.
“HE&R is proud to continue to live by the example set by our founder, Milton S. Hershey, in giving back to the community and helping children in need,” said Kathleen McGraw, Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at HE&R. “Through the efforts of our extraordinary culinary teams, we are thrilled to partner with Cocoa Packs to bring nutritious and delicious food to children experiencing food insecurities. A special thank you to our team members and volunteers for assisting with this important initiative.”
Through a partnership with Food Rescue US, Cocoa Packs is helping to lead the way in Central PA by delivering a streamlined simple solution for connecting healthy, usable surplus food from restaurant partners to meet critical demand through the use of the simple, innovative, and efficient technology developed by Food Rescue US, which facilitates the direct transfer model for food rescue. For more information, visithttps://cocoapacks.org/rescue.
For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Lindsay Drew, Cocoa Packs Marketing Director at (717) 319-0600 or CocoaPacksMarketing@gmail.com.