BEAR – The Dot Foods distribution center made a sizeable donation to local food pantries. Through the company’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor program, the distribution center helped five area food pantries with $6,000 worth of products from Dot’s current inventory for a total donation of $30,000 worth of food and other necessities.

This year’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor recipient pantries are:

• Colonial School District Food Pantry at Southern Elementary (New Castle, DE)
• Canaan Baptist Church (New Castle, DE)
• Francis X Norton Center – Ministry of Caring (Wilmington, DE)
• Charity Crossing (Bear, DE)
• Health Food Pantry at the Food Bank of Delaware (Newark, DE)

Each food pantry selected products from a shopping list of Dot’s inventory that would best address their specific needs. Dot employees will help the food pantry staff and volunteers in receiving and unloading their donations at each location.

While multi-faceted, Dot’s charitable work always starts at home with its 13 U.S. distribution centers supporting their local food pantries throughout the year and each fall through the Neighbor-to-Neighbor program. Neighbor-to-Neighbor launched in 2014. The program’s focus on local pantries means assistance is going directly to help the communities Dot employees call home.

“No one should go hungry in America, the richest nation in the world – but they do,” Jay Muthukamatchi, founder, and president of Charity Crossing, said. “Ensuring government funding and corporate donations reach organizations that can increase the effectiveness of such grants could help alleviate this problem.  Dot Foods and its employees are setting a great example.  They work with community partners to ensure that their donations not only help drive away hunger but also environment friendly. We serve at least 500 low-income families every week across diamond states.  We plan to give Dot Foods’ donation to low-income families to bring joy during this holiday season.”

“The Dot Foods donation will be very beneficial to the students at Southern as well as Gunning Bedford and Wilbur,” Melissa Downey, family crisis therapist at Southern Elementary, said in a statement. “Some of these students’ families face socio-economic challenges due to various circumstances causing an increase in the need for assistance with basic necessities. Therefore, the Food Pantry was created to assist the families of students in need. This donation will allow these families to have a wide variety of food to choose from.”

“The Dot Foods Neighbor to Neighbor program is a perfect partner for the Canaan Baptist Church Community Engagement Ministry. It enhances our ability to further reach the underserved population on the Route 9/13 corridor,” said Christopher Alan Bullock, pastor at Canaan Baptist Church of Delaware. “We are grateful for our partnership with Dot Foods. Together we are making a great impact on people’s lives.”