Caribbean Produce Exchange ships £ 107,000 worth of products from Puerto Rico to Houston and the Virgin Islands

Caribbean Produce Exchange, Inc. (CPE), a local fresh food and consumer products distribution company, donated four containers of 107,000 pounds of produce to help the Latin American communities in Texas affected by recent winter storms, as well as hundreds of families in the U.S. Virgin Islands. who are still facing food and economic challenges from the COVID 19 pandemic.

The endowment is part of CPE’s platform for social responsibility and solidarity, whose corporate purpose since 1960 has been based on nurturing wellbeing. Food includes dairy products from Indulac and other local companies, as well as beef and chicken protein to provide to seniors and low-income families through a partnership with the nonprofit Catholic Charities, in both jurisdictions.

“A year after the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of the winter storms that hit the state of Texas, we wanted to provide solidarity support to Houston, a city with a growing Puerto Rican and Hispanic community, with a number of products coming from here. Likewise, we received information from families dealing with nutritional insecurity among our Caribbean neighbors in the U.S. Virgin Islands and immediately mobilized to form an alliance with Catholic Charities, an entity that has a network of volunteers in both jurisdictions to provide assistance to divide. The containers are already at their destination and food deliveries have already started, ”he said. Ángel Santiago, president and CEO of the distribution company.

In April 2020, CPE shipped more than 16,000 pounds of fresh produce from the country to Bronx County to ease the food crisis within weeks of ordering massive quarantines for the pandemic. Santiago noted that the company has always been very active in providing relief and solidarity to families and communities in need in times of need in Puerto Rico and other regions where they can receive food aid.

As part of the Federal Department of Agriculture (USDA) food box project, the company has distributed nearly three million food boxes in the past year and provided support to families affected by earthquakes in southern and southwest Puerto Rico with supplies of food, labor, tools for mental and emotional health, as well as other resources during this emergency. In 2017, CPE partnered with the American Red Cross and FEMA to distribute millions of pounds of food to hundreds of thousands of families affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

“We are grateful for the support of the Caribbean Produce Exchange, which has generously donated containers full of food to help Catholic charities meet the growing demand for food,” said Sr. Donna Markham, President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. “Thanks to organizations like CPE, more than 20 million pounds of food has been distributed nationwide. Our local agencies continue to provide food to the most deprived in a range of locations selected for mass distribution, as well as prepared meals and pop-up kitchens to help alleviate hunger and nutritional insecurity for affected citizens and families, ”he added.

The ocean freight company National Shipping of America also participated as an ally of CPE and volunteered to transport the containers to Houston in solidarity with this initiative. “We recognize and appreciate CPE’s efforts to ship and provide food to families in Texas affected by the climate emergency that has created dire situations,” said Torey Presti, president of National Shipping of America (NSA). Presti added, “NSA is honored to have been selected to participate in the transportation and transportation phase of this worthy endeavor on behalf of the residents of Texas.”

“We hope these donations can bring great relief to families and communities in these affected areas, and we thank the local businesses who have always partnered with Caribbean Produce to bring progress, nutrition and hope in times of crisis,” added Santiago.