Cargill is working with its nonprofit and NGO partners around the globe to help address food security, health and safety needs and agriculture and industry challenges due to the spread of COVID-19. The company has committed $35 million to date for COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts through partnerships, aid funds, product donations and employee giving. In addition to monetary contributions, Cargill has donated nearly 3 million pounds of food to food shelves and hunger relief efforts.

“Our response is guided by our purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way,” the company said in a statement.

“We are working with farmers and ranchers to keep the agriculture economy moving and to support our agriculture communities,” said Jon Nash, president of Cargill Protein North America. “We want to thank our employees as well as our farmer and rancher partners. I am humbled to work alongside the people whose tireless efforts every day keep food on tables in local communities.”

At the heart of the food system, farmers play an essential role in nourishing the world. During this unprecedented time, Cargill is reinforcing its partnership with farmers and ranchers, investing in programs that support their work and resilience. For example, Cargill has contributed to the American Farmland Trust’s Farmer Relief Fund, which provides producers in the United States with grants up to $1,000 each to help them navigate the current market disruptions during the crisis.

Cargill is also focused on supporting agricultural communities, especially those most vulnerable to food insecurity during this pandemic. The company has made both monetary and food contributions to organizations including Action for Healthy Kids, Feeding America, Means Database, United Way, the National Restaurant Association Foundation Employee Relief Fund and numerous local food shelves. Local teams have donated eggs to Second Harvest Heartland, protein and food donations were distributed for emergency food boxes for school children and 420 pounds of pizza topping was donated in Kansas to support a local restaurant’s efforts to feed healthcare workers.

Cargill is committed to putting people first, and continues to keep its facilities operating anywhere it is safe to do so. This ensures a reliable market for farmers and ranchers and delivers the essential service of putting food on family tables.

To support employee health, Cargill said that it has has adopted additional safety measures at all protein facilities, including temperature testing, distributing face masks to employees daily, taking extra cleaning and sanitizing measures and supporting social distancing with efforts ranging from staggered breaks and shift flexibility to the installation of barriers between work stations. “Throughout this process we have worked alongside local government officials to ensure decisions made coordinate with the government’s greater COVID-19 response.”

“Cargill is also recognizing the tireless contributions of our front-line employees with incentive pay and bonuses during the pandemic.”

Source: Cargill