Project SERVE: Giving Back
Click Here To Download The 2024 Project SERVE Annual Report
Grab The Tab
School meal debt in the U.S. averages nearly $200 million a year, and the weight of that falls on students. Now in its third year, Grab the Tab eliminated more than $100,000 in meal debt across Florida, Illinois, and Utah in 2025, with submissions nearly doubling from prior years. No child should carry debt to receive a meal.
Project Serve Spotlight:
Ronald McDonald House
For 40 years, Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor has been a home away from home for families of hospitalized children. In 2025, National Food Group and Zee Zees stepped up as a partner, donating allergen-free snacks, volunteering to make meals, sponsoring the kitchen, and delivering backpacks and holiday essentials to families who needed them most.
Project Serve Spotlight
Food Donations
In 2025, more than 300,000 pounds of food were donated to partners across the country, reaching family tables, student backpacks, and community meals. Another 100,000 pounds were redirected through composting partnerships into animal feed, compost, or biofuel. When food is your business, every pound matters.
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
