As part of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey-based Unilever’s ‘United for America’ initiative, Hellmann’s launched a Food Relief Fund that will provide $1 million to feed frontline workers and people in need in New York City, Hellmann’s birthplace and the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic epicenter.
To start, Hellmann’s Food Relief Fund will provide $500,000 worth of meals through a partnership with Grubhub, the natio online and mobile food-ordering and delivering marketplace. Together, the brands have teamed with local restaurants to provide 30,000 individually-catered meals to health care workers at three New York City hospitals. By leveraging Grubhub’s delivery network, the partnership will fuel local restaurants struggling to stay open in this time of crisis.
“With the creation of Hellmann’s Food Relief Fund, we want to provide much needed food to the humanitarians on the frontlines in New York City who are selflessly confronting the virus and facilitating care daily as well as to New Yorkers who are experiencing hardship through this pandemic,” said Ben Crook, senior marketing director for Hellmann’s North America. “The fund’s first partnership with Grubhub will help feed frontline healthcare workers immediately impacted while also benefiting local restaurants and their staff who are among the hardest hit in New York City.”
“Amid this trying time, we are proud to team up with Hellmann’s to expand on an initiative that is rooted in generosity,” said Padma Rao, VP of special projects at Grubhub. “Through purposeful actions such as this we are able to contribute in feeding the hospital workers who are working around the clock and going above and beyond to save lives, while also allowing us to help support the livelihoods of those in our Grubhub community, like our local restaurants who need us now more than ever.”
Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City will be the first beneficiary, with approximately 3,800 hospital staff supported by the initiative. Hellmann’s and Grubhub are working in tandem to enroll additional hospitals in the greater New York City area to offer support tailored to their staffing needs.
“Our selfless caregivers are fighting an unprecedented battle. They deserve all the support we can give them. We are grateful to the companies that have banded together during this challenging time to prioritize our staff,” said Peg Butler, VP, marketing and external relations for Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC, one of 23 Northwell hospitals in the greater New York area.
Hellmann’s Food Relief Fund will identify additional partnerships in the upcoming weeks to donate a total of $1 million to help feed New Yorkers.
This commitment is part of Unilever’s ‘United for America’ initiative, which is contributing $20 million in products and services to help those impacted by the pandemic, including donations of food (including Hellmann’s), soap, personal hygiene, and home cleaning products.
