Darden Restaurants is providing a refrigerated truck to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey
Darden Restaurants and Feeding America are teaming up to provide the Community FoodBank of New Jersey with a refrigerated truck to help advance the organization’s mission to fight hunger.
In addition to the Hillside-based nonprofit, nine other food banks across the U.S. — including those in Houston, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Tucson — will also receive a 26-foot truck, the Texas-based restaurant group announced. Orlando in September 2019. 14 press release.
These vehicles are made possible by a $2 million grant from the Darden Restaurants Inc. Foundation. Supported by partners Penske Truck Leasing and Lineage Foundation, it can transport up to 12,000 pounds of food at a time, making it an important part of mobile food pantry programs. In food banks that need it most.
Of the 38 million Americans who are food insecure, more than 625,000 live in New Jersey, according to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
As the state’s largest hunger and poverty organization, the organization distributes 108 million pounds of food and provides 90 million meals annually through more than 800 community partners, including local soup kitchens, pantries and shelters.
The nonprofit also employs more than 200 workers who procure, collect and package food orders for distribution and assist people in need through outreach initiatives and outreach in communities with limited resources.
“Our new 26-foot refrigerated truck from Darden, Penske and Lineage will allow us to serve our community by delivering after-school meals from our 5,000-square-foot commercial kitchen to locations across the state that are participating,” Vice President of Operations David Goldstein said in a statement to NJBIZ. In our Kids Cafe program.
“This donation makes an extraordinary difference as we work every day to ensure every child in New Jersey has access to the healthy food they need to learn, grow and play. Thank you, Darden, Penske and Laneige, for working alongside us to fight hunger in the state.”
Since 2021, Darden and its partners have supplied trucks to 35 food banks in 18 states, along with funds for operating expenses.
In addition, the Darden family of restaurants — which includes Olive Garden, Yard House, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Ruth’s Chris Steak House — continues to participate in the company’s food donation program.
Each week, team members prepare nutritious, off-the-shelf foods like pasta, steak, chicken, vegetables, and soup to donate to a local nonprofit—instead of throwing them away. Over two decades, Darden’s 1,900-plus locations have served more than 136 million pounds of food to those in need, amounting to 113 million meals, according to the company.
“All of us at Darden have a shared purpose to nourish and delight everyone we serve, and our commitment to service extends beyond our restaurants to our communities,” said Rick Cardenas, president and CEO of Darden Restaurants. “As a restaurant company, we can make a tangible difference in the fight against hunger. Through our long-standing partnership with Feeding America and our legacy Harvest food donation program, we can help individuals and families obtain nutritious food.
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