DS Smith Holly Springs donates boxes to support local food pantry’s summer campaign for kids
ATLANTA, July 24, 2023 – DS Smith, a leading provider of sustainable, fiber-based packaging worldwide, is partnering with the nonprofit food pantry Chatham Outreach Alliance (CORA) in Pittsboro, N.C., to help address the food insecurity schoolchildren face during summer break.
To facilitate faster food delivery to more people in CORA’s Chatham County, N.C. service area, the DS Smith North America Packaging and Paper (NAPP) plant in nearby Holly Springs, is producing and donating 5,000 boxes to CORA for packaging and delivering food donations to families over the summer.
The donation is in support of CORA’s SNACK! (Summer Nutritional Assistance for Chatham Kids) program, which distributes food to approximately 1,400 kids who depend upon free or reduced-cost meals at school during the school year but have little or no replacement for this when school is not in session. The program provides each participating child with 21 healthy meals each week from June to mid-August.
“Our SNACK! Program was originally established as a farmer’s market-style service for families to select food from the pantry we provide, but during the pandemic we were forced to switch to providing boxes that our volunteers fill and deliver curbside to families,” said Rebecca Hankins, development and communications director, CORA. The organization has continued using boxes for distribution, even after resuming farmer’s market-style services, because of the convenience curbside distribution offers for families.
Hankins continued: “We serve many working families who often might not have the hour or more of time during the day it might take to shop the pantry and we found that curbside pickup using boxes was great, because they save families time.”
DS Smith creates sustainable, 100% fiber-based packaging, meaning that as well as providing much needed convenience for time-pressed families, the boxes donated to CORA contain no plastic for easy recycling.
Bryce Deblasi, Holly Springs plant manager, DS Smith NAPP said: “We are delighted to be able to help CORA in supporting local families by donating boxes – we hope this can make a difference to those relying on the Summer Nutritional Assistance for Chatham Kids program. Our sites play an active role in their communities, and we seek to represent the communities and customers we serve – I know our team at the Holly Springs packaging plant is incredibly proud to support CORA’s important mission.”
Approximately 50% of public school children receive free or low-cost meals through the federal school lunch program in Chatham County, and CORA anticipates a 10% increase in demand this summer. Using the donated boxes for distribution will help CORA meet demand as it works to provide food at 15 distribution sites. Through SNACK!, CORA aims to continue increasing the accessibility of nutritious meals throughout the summer to children facing food insecurity in Chatham County.
About DS Smith
DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable fiber-based packaging worldwide, which is supported by recycling and papermaking operations. It plays a central role in the value chain across sectors including e-commerce, fast moving consumer goods and industrials. Through its purpose of ‘Redefining Packaging for a Changing World’ and its Now and Next sustainability strategy, DS Smith is committed to leading the transition to the circular economy, while delivering more circular solutions for its customers and wider society – replacing problem plastics, taking carbon out of supply chains and providing innovative recycling solutions. Its bespoke box-to-box in 14 days model, design capabilities and innovation strategy sits at the heart of this response. Headquartered in London and a member of the FTSE 100, DS Smith operates in 34 countries employing around 30,000 people and is a Strategic Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Its history can be traced back to the box-making businesses started in the 1940s by the Smith family. North American operations are based in Atlanta, with 15 manufacturing, paper and recycling facilities, totaling more than 2,000 employees. DS Smith will report annually its progress across its climate targets in its Sustainability and Annual Reports.