Shuman Farms is heading into summer with a pair of initiatives aimed at combatting hunger.
The Reidsville, Ga.-based grower-packer-shipper of premium sweet onions has partnered with the nonprofit Feed the Boro, and it is expanding its June Feeding America retail programs to include its Mr. Buck’s brand of Vidalia onions.
The moves are the latest in the grower’s more than two decades of cause-marketing efforts.
Shuman Farms’ Healthy Family Project, founded in 2002 by company President and CEO John Shuman, has donated more than 18 million meals to Feeding America and raised more than $7.5 million for charities that support children and families. The grower has also donated meals and raised awareness of food insecurity in the U.S. through its own Feeding America retail programs.
Shuman Farms celebrated the beginning of its partnership with Feed the Boro on May 20, when it was the presenting sponsor of the local nonprofit’s monthly food drop, according to a news release.
The Shuman family and team were also on-site to lend a hand. Within a few hours, the entirely volunteer-driven event provided a week’s worth of meals and fresh ingredients, including RealSweet Vidalia onions, to 1,000 families in Statesboro, Ga. and surrounding communities in southeast Georgia, the release said.
“Giving back to our local community, as well as those where our products are sold, has always been a key part of who we are. To be this close to home, see this kind of need, and all the people coming together to help is very powerful,” Shuman said in the release. “We are very grateful for all that Feed the Boro is doing for our local community and look forward to continuing to support their efforts in any way we can.”
Feeding America retail programs
Since 2019, Shuman Farms has shipped its RealSweet Vidalia onions in specially marked Feeding America bags during the month of June. This year the company is adding the Mr. Buck’s brand of Vidalia onions to its June Feeding America retail programs.
The new packaging, as well as accompanying POS materials and social media support, will aid participating retailers in shedding light on food insecurity in the U.S., especially as children who rely on school-provided meals are home for the summer, according to the release.
The Shuman Farms team kicked off its June Feeding America promotions by volunteering June 1 at a local Feeding America food bank — America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia in Savannah — packing nearly 1,500 breakfast bags for children in local summer programs.
More information about Shuman Farms’ commitment to giving back in the communities where its products are sold is available at shumanfarmsga.com.
