Take Out to Give Back
As the COVID-19 crisis struck communities across the nation, the restaurant industry took an immediate and unprecedented hit.
Without delay, Sysco launched #TakeOutToGiveBack, a campaign that called on the public to order takeout and delivery from their favorite local eateries. Sysco asked consumers to post images of their food using the hashtags #TakeOutToGiveBack and #TeamNoKidHungry on social media.
For every post, Sysco donated 50 cents to their longtime partner No Kid Hungry, which works to end child hunger by connecting kids to programs like school breakfast and summer meals. All told, Sysco helped promote local restaurants’ takeout and delivery operations, while also contributing $150,000 to No Kid Hungry.
“Sysco is working to support our customers, business partners and communities during this challenging time.”
Neil Russell – Vice President of Corporate Affairs
Making Every Case Count
While consumers were staying home during the COVID-19 quarantine, most restaurants were forced to shut their doors or do takeout-only, leaving tons of inventory stalled in the supply chain. Reacting quickly, Sysco rallied, diverting food that would have headed to the landfill and instead channeling it to those in need.
By using its ongoing relationships with food banks across the globe, Sysco donated 30 million meals in 12 weeks, from the U.S. and Canada, and every area in the Sysco footprint, including Europe, Costa Rica and the Bahamas.
Sysco leveraged its vast distribution network and extensive fleet, and loaned storage trailers at no cost to food banks to ensure food ended up in homes instead of landfills. With restaurant workers representing a large percentage of the jobless across the U.S., donating meals was also a way to help those in the industry experiencing unprecedented unemployment and even food insecurity.
“Food is our business and our passion. We had an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the communities where we operate and help drive traffic to our customers’ businesses,” says Neil Russell, Sysco’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs.
