Elara Foodservice Disposables, a designer and producer of foodservice gloves, aprons, bags and related safe food handling products, announced that it has surpassed the milestone of 1 million meals that it has helped provide for people struggling with hunger in America.
Through Elara’s One Case • One Meal program, for each case of products a customer buys, Elara helps provide a meal to a qualified food bank. The program is embedded in Elara’s business model, which means there is no cap on the number of meals. To date, Elara has made donations to 30 plus food banks in 20 states across the U.S., including Island Harvest, City Harvest and the Connecticut Food Bank in the Tri-State area.
“We established Elara in 2011 with the social mission of fighting hunger in America,” states Dan Grinberg, President of Elara. “Achieving our first million meals in just four years is validation that our model is working. This would not have been possible without the support of our customers and sales reps, and for that we are truly thankful. We are also grateful to the thirty plus food banks around the country that are beneficiaries of the One Case • One Meal program. The work they do in providing food and services is tremendous.”
There are more than 49 million people in the U.S. who are food insecure, including nearly 16 million children. In fact, according to Feeding America, 1 in 6 Americans struggles with hunger. Hunger is a national issue that exists in every county in America.
The concept of a social enterprise, one that serves society through its regular course of business, is increasingly supported by consumers. According to a Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Opportunity Study, 92% of consumers would buy a product with a social and/or environmental benefit. This creates a virtuous cycle, whereby the purchases of such a brand increases support for the cause it is aligned with.
“We expect to see more social mission driven companies taking innovative approaches to tackling hunger and other issues facing our society,” says Grinberg. “And you don’t have to start a business to make a difference. From volunteering at a local food bank, to conducting a food drive, to educating colleagues, friends and neighbors on the issue, you can fight hunger in a way that works for you personally.”
Elara Foodservice Disposables is a designer and producer of high quality food contact gloves, food storage bags and related products for restaurant and institutional foodservice operators. Elara has a social mission built into its DNA – fighting hunger. For every case of product it sells, Elara helps provide a meal for a person struggling with hunger. For more information about Elara Foodservice Disposables, visit www.elaradisposables.com
