Cold Work, Warm Hearts

Food Bank CENC

By Erica Rascón on Jan 10, 2019 in Giving

Have you ever wondered how food banks get fresh produce and meats to people in need? Such perishable items require special care and the work of dedicated volunteers. Yardi Raleigh employees endured the winter temperatures to provide nutritious meals for the hungry.

A Lasting Relationship

Yardi Raleigh has been a proud sponsor of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina (CENC) for several years. Its simple yet vital mission to feed the hungry has spoken to the hearts of Yardi team members. They have dedicated their time, energy, and resources the cause.

Their work is needed now more than ever. The nonprofit services about 600,000 people across 34 counties in the state. Through its care, children, seniors, and other vulnerable groups receive nutritious food, clean water, and the educational resources needed for self-sufficiency.

In emergencies, such as recent natural disasters, Food Bank CENC acts as a first responder. As soon a safe pathways are cleared, the Food Bank opens its branches and satellite locations to provide food to those displaced by flooding, hurricanes, and other acts of nature.

Yardi continues to support Food Bank CENC with a recent volunteer initiative in rather frosty conditions.

Yep. That’s Cold.

In the past, Yardi Raleigh team members have made financial contributions, sorted goods, and packed boxes for Food Bank CENC. The most recent visit the food pantry proved to be a bone chilling yet heart warming experience!

Rather than packing non-perishable goods, Yardi Raleigh got a taste of the meat freezer. Volunteers Rose Hiebert, David Minehart, Steve Sharpe and Mike Harrison were responsible for packing 230 boxes of perishable items such as frozen poultry, beef and pork. That’s nearly 7,400 pounds of meat! The proteins will be a part of 6,100 balanced meals to feed those in need.

Conditions in the warehouse were roughly 32 degrees, similar to outdoor temperatures. Volunteers bundled up to sort meats in the boxes and then transport those boxes from the warehouse into the deep freezer, which maxed out at -9 degrees.

“All the teammates were excited to volunteer and looking forward to the project with interest, as none of us had done this particular type of volunteer work before,” explained Rose Hiebert, Project Manager, CSD at Yardi.

“The current event was a good time to share an experience with co-workers, to have the sense that we at Yardi cared about and acted for our larger community, and to share that experience with people from across the Triangle,” said Rose.

Yardi employees are Energized for Good! Learn more on the Giving Page.