HelloFresh to help Newark, Table to Table provide 250K-plus meals to city residents

Meal kit company HelloFresh is partnering with the city of Newark and food rescue organization Table to Table to provide more than 250,000 meals to city residents in need, the trio announced Monday.

Each meal kit will include fresh ingredients and a step-by-step recipe to make a meal of recipients’ choice, or popular HelloFresh recipes such as Cheesy Chicken and Bean Taco Skillets, the company said in a news release.

“At a time when Newark is facing one of the greatest crises in history, one of our greatest corporate citizens is stepping up and partnering with us to bring relief to residents in need,” Mayor Ras Baraka said in a prepared statement. “HelloFresh’s free meal kits will provide highly nutritious meals for thousands of Newark residents during this coronavirus pandemic, and I’m thankful for their commitment to our city.”

HelloFresh, a German company whose U.S. operations include a meal kit distribution facility and customer service center in Newark and an additional facility in Swedesboro, said the partnership hopes to help people in the city who are suffering hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing them with nutritious food.

“At HelloFresh, we understand the value of sharing a home-cooked meal with loved ones, and are more committed than ever to making fresh, delicious food available to all of our communities,” HelloFresh US CEO Uwe Voss said in a statement. “Newark is the center of our operations, and we are proud to partner with Mayor Baraka and Table to Table to feed our neighbors during this incredibly challenging time.”

Over the next six months, the kits will be assembled each Wednesday at John F. Kennedy Recreation Center and then delivered directly to vulnerable residents. Each recipient will receive two meal kits with enough ingredients to make eight complete meals, as well as a bag of fresh fruit, the company noted.

Ilene Isaacs, executive director of Table to Table, which serves communities in four northern New Jersey counties, said: “HelloFresh has been an extraordinary partner of Table to Table’s since the company first came to Newark. Their generosity has been a game-changer in providing accessibility to fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the city, growing our network of no-cost, fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs serving schools, pantries, struggling families and programs reaching every vulnerable population. Their effort to help meet the current increased demand for fresh food is a testament to their support of this city, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this exceptional joint venture.”

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