Last updated on December 12th, 2024
KeHE Cares, the non-profit foundation of Naperville, Illinois-based KeHE Distributors, a distributor of natural and organic specialty and fresh foods, is sponsoring a March 7 food packing event at Natural Products Expo West 2019 in Anaheim, California, to assist local residents facing challenges in feeding their families.
In a 2.5-hour effort co-sponsored by Expo West producer New Hope Network and KeHE’s CAREtrade partner, This Bar Saves Lives, KeHE employees and show attendees will be packing 2,000 boxes containing enough food for 100,000 meals that will be distributed to community members in need by the Children’s Hunger Fund.
Each box will include staples such as pasta, rice, lentils, tuna, macaroni and cheese, canned tomatoes, jerky, applesauce, dried fruit, sunflower butter and nutrition bars. All food has been donated by KeHE supplier partners, including Annie’s Homegrown, Arrowhead Mills, Cadia, Country Archer, Go Go Squeez, Nutiva, Patience Fruit, Peeled Snacks, Pomi, Sahale Snacks, SunButter, This Bar Saves Lives, Tilda and World Finer Foods-DaVinci.
The initiative will be the largest serving event ever held at Expo West as well as the latest philanthropic project by KeHE Cares, the charitable arm of KeHE that promotes serving opportunities by the company’s employee-owners. KeHE contributes 10 percent of company profits to KeHE Cares activities, which range from serving in local soup kitchens to creating healthy meal kits for the hungry, building and repairing homes, collecting relief supplies, and providing medical and social assistance to those in need locally and abroad.
“We have always been struck by the contrast between the seemingly endless food supplies at Expo West and the economic need in the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Brandon Barnholt, president and CEO, KeHE. “This event is our effort to address that imbalance and literally put food on the table for local families who may be struggling.”
The event will kick off at 7:30 a.m. PST outside of the Anaheim Marriott, adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center, the location of Expo West.
With its nationwide distribution network, KeHE provides natural and organic, specialty, ethnic and fresh products to chain and independent grocery and natural food stores and other specialty product retailers throughout North America. KeHE is an employee-owned company with more than 5,000 employee-owners in the U.S. and Canada.
