Ryder System Inc. announced that 35 employees provided more than 120 hours of hands-on assistance for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank on Dec. 9 to help support local families in need during the holiday season. The team of Ryder volunteers helped prepare, box up and palletize hundreds of holiday food baskets containing three- to four-day supplies of shelf-stable foods.
During the holidays, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, a member of the nation’s largest nongovernmental, domestic hunger relief organization – Feeding America – will provide close to two million pounds of food to more than 500 agencies. These agencies – including faith-based food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, afterschool programs, senior housing sites and Salvation Army centers – distribute the food baskets, along with frozen meats, to recipients across central and eastern Ohio.
“The pressure on families facing tough times increases dramatically during the holidays,” says Jonathan Reed, Ryder business development manager. “Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy a full holiday meal with their loved ones. I’m proud that our group is doing its part to ensure that families in central Ohio have that opportunity. Through our volunteerism, members of the Ryder team will experience firsthand what the Mid-Ohio Foodbank means to the local community – and discover how each of us can make a difference.”
“In hourly terms, the valuable assistance being offered by the Ryder team is equivalent to three full-time employees working for a week,” says Dave Phillips, Mid-Ohio Foodbank vice president of operations. “The generous Ryder contribution will allow us to leverage our greatest asset – our volunteers.”
