Feeding Children in India

One Million Meals and Counting

Kristen
by Kristen Gilbert

July 19, 2018

2 minute read

Three years ago, we set a goal to hit one million meals by the end of 2018, our 100th anniversary. Well… we did not meet that goal. We exceeded it! At least, we are well on our way to doing just that. We've hit the mark early, during our Founder's Day volunteer event last week!

The Road to One Million

In 2016, we set out with the goal to give one million meals by our 100th anniversary in 2018. Last month, we reached our goals early. We could not have gotten here without the valuable partnerships that helped shape this campaign: organizations like Edesia, Rise Against Hunger, the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club, Eden Food for Change in Canada, the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen and various nutrition programs in places like Costa Rica, India and South Africa.

Our partners were just as determined as we were to meet our goal by our deadline because we know that to really tackle the global issue of hunger, we must work together towards a common good.

Volunteers worked in our garden to grow and harvest fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs for a local soup kitchen in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. We provided meals to school children around the world to help incentivize them to come to school and be nourished so that they can learn. In Peru, we built a greenhouse where the locals would be able to grow nutritious food. We planted fruit trees and a vegetable garden that feed communities in Ecuador. All of these efforts and many more helped us meet our goal.

Employees rallied around our goal. In that first year, after announcing the campaign, our Social Responsibility department told the employee body that the goal was lofty; it would not be easy to meet. And that's all our team needed to hear. They enthusiastically came to the table ready to volunteer, to work together, and to, in typical Collette fashion, exceed the goal we set out for. I mean, our company has reached 100 years in business. We are nothing if not passionate and dedicated in everything that we do.

With many months left to 2018, we are thrilled to see how far we can go. Our work is not done.

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