Tropical Cheese Industries, a Perth Amboy-based food company, has pledged $100,000 worth of products and groceries to the city’s food relief efforts, continuing a series of donations equaling tons of food products in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tropical Cheese founder Rafael Mendez and his family have spearheaded the donations to the city’s food distribution center, bolstering its inventory each time it has run low, according to a company news release.
“I’ve been involved in the Perth Amboy community for the past 50 years,” Mendez said in a prepared statement. “It brings me tremendous satisfaction to help people, because I see a need triggered by the pandemic. We are grateful to have the resources to help our neighbors who are suffering and are trying to feed their families.”
The latest gift’s first shipment, 14 pallets of food, has already been delivered, with more on the way. Food provided includes beans, cooking oils, fresh fruits and other staples, as well as Tropical Cheese’s brand-name products.
“We’re incredibly grateful that Tropical Cheese, which is a local, family-run business and one of the city’s largest private employers, is donating huge amounts of its award-winning products and truckloads of groceries to feed so many families,” Mayor Wilda Diaz said in a statement. “While the number of households requesting food deliveries is slightly declining, we expect that our families may face food insecurity issues for months to come.”
Tropical Cheese has more than $200 million in annual sales and approximately 400 employees, including at its Perth Amboy headquarters and distribution centers around the country.
For more on Perth Amboy’s COVID efforts, click here.
