Project SERVE: Giving Back
Community Impact Through Innovation & Service
At National Food Group, food is the core of our business and drives all that we do, including our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. We pledge a minimum of 5% of our earnings, along with our time and talents - making food more accessible, providing opportunities and resources for individuals seeking a career in the food industry, and supporting our global environment.
What We Do
Through Project SERVE and its initiatives, we are working each day to feed local families, reduce food waste, and help break down barriers to employment.
- Rescued and redirected more than 70 million pounds of food from waste
- Contributed more than $5 million in resources to non-profits and community organizations
- Volunteered more than 3,000 hours in our communities
Project SERVE Key Initiatives
Our corporate social responsibility efforts focus on five key areas, reflecting our commitment to the community.
Click below to learn more about each initiative:
Help alleviate food insecurity by matching food and funds with communities in need.
How We're Making a Difference:
Provide opportunities and resources for students of all ages and backgrounds to learn about the food industry and its many career paths.
How We're Making a Difference:
Focus on being a leader in the industry for an inclusive and equitable environment.
How We're Making a Difference:
Improve the lives of our neighbors through use of our time, talents, and treasures.
How We're Making a Difference:
Continue and expand sustainability practices at National Food Group with help from our customers and vendors.
How We're Making a Difference:
Secure Food & Funding
Help alleviate food insecurity by matching food and funds with communities in need.
Initiative objectives
- Partner with key community stakeholders to distribute food to the greatest need
- Use National Food Group resources to assess and eliminate issues with food accessibility
- Participate in community focused programs on preparing affordable and nutritious meals
- Work with National Food Group vendors and customers to support food accessibility in their own communities
Educate
Provide opportunities and resources for students of all ages and backgrounds to learn about the food industry and its many career paths.
Initiative objectives
- Offer student scholarships to help provide culinary training to secure employment in the food industry
- Organize internships to give real experience to high school and college students
- Attend career days at schools to encourage and educate a diverse population on the food industry
- Partner with local agencies and programs to teach children about healthy and affordable eating to support food accessibility in their own communities
- Break down barriers to employment in the food industry
Respect Diversity
Focus on being a leader in the industry for an inclusive and equitable environment.
Initiative objectives
- Celebrate the diversity in our world and within our teams
- Strengthen current policy of inclusion by incorporating implicit bias training in our onboarding and for current employees
- Expand current recruiting pools to include a more diverse candidate base. (targeted advertisement, recruitment fairs, and personal connections)
- Partner with local organizations and schools to recruit interns from high need communities and provide resources to any barriers students may have
Volunteer
Improve the lives of our neighbors through use of our time, talents, and treasures.
Initiative objectives
- Support National Food Group employees in donating 1000 hours of their time to local organizations
- Provide a $500 grant to any organization with at least 30 hours of NFG collective employee volunteer service
- Sponsor community events and programs that engage employees, partners and customers
- Participate at a leadership level in organizations that support Project SERVE initiatives
Elevate Sustainability
Continue and expand sustainability practices at National Food Group with help from our customers and vendors.
Initiative objectives
- Help reduce food waste through programs such as Opportunity Buys® that redirect wholesome, quality food to new markets
- Employ environmental sustainability practices in our offices where possible, like LED and motion sensor lights, water bottle filling stations, and recycling programs
- Partner with customers to meet zero waste and environmental programs
- Enable our Logistics teams to optimize shipping loads for efficient fuel use
- Employ recyclable and/or sustainably sourced packaging where possible
- Seek out suppliers that are using sustainable practices
Industry Partners
We collaborate with leading organizations across our markets to enhance our industry impact and service excellence. Below, you'll find the logos of these key partners who play a crucial role in our shared mission.
Interested In Support From Project SERVE?
We invite organizations that share our commitment to food security and community support to apply for assistance through Project SERVE. To apply, please ensure you complete the entire application form below.
Please be aware that due to a high volume of applications, we will only contact selected applicants.
Only registered 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible, for a full list of exclusions, please use the dropdown below.
We cannot accept applications from the following:
- Advocacy-directed programs, animal rights organizations, species-specific organizations
- Parent groups, parties, or personal events
- Beauty or talent contests, sports teams, golf outings
- Day-to-day operations or debt reduction initiatives for businesses, labor groups or nonprofits
- Efforts to influence legislation, or the outcome of any elections, or any specific election of candidates to public office, or to carry on any voter registration drive, political contributions
- Endowments, fraternal organizations, organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) status, private K-12 schools, religious programs or sectarian programs for religious purposes
- General operating support to hospitals and healthcare institutions
- Individual sponsorships related to fundraising activities, individuals, sports, and race teams
- Organizations that unlawfully discriminate in their provision of goods and services based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, physical challenge, age, or status as a protected veteran