DDR sponsors ‘Say Present This Back-To-School’ drive
DDR is sponsoring a food drive community effort benefitting low-income children in Puerto Rico.
DDR Corp., which owns 12 shopping centers in Puerto Rico, announced the start of its “Say Present This Back-To-School” community effort that begins today to provide healthy snacks to 2,100 low-income children from public schools and areas of extreme poverty on the island.
The campaign will end Aug. 20. Those interested in donating food items can deliver them at the DDR customer service centers, located in the participating shopping centers: Plaza del Sol and Plaza Río Hondo, in Bayamón; Plaza del Norte, in Hatillo; and Plaza Palma Real, in Humacao. Other participating shopping centers are Señorial Plaza, Plaza Escorial, Plaza Fajardo, Plaza Cayey, Plaza Isabela, Plaza del Atlántico, Plaza Walmart, and Plaza Vega Baja.
“This initiative in collaboration with the Food Bank of Puerto Rico allows us to positively impact thousands of children by ensuring a nutritional outlook that will lead to better academic performance by providing the healthy snacks they need for the beginning of the new school year,” said Martha Hermilla, senior director of marketing at DDR Corp.
“Moreover, the Food Bank of Puerto Rico will have the shopping centers support as collection centers so that they can impact several high-poverty areas in Puerto Rico,” said Hermilla.
The public is encouraged to donate the following food items: oatmeal (add water only), whole grain bars, dry cereal, granola, canned tuna with water, canned chicken, canned sausages (low-sodium), canned ham, peanut butter, assortment of unsalted nuts, unsalted sunflower seeds, apple sauce, fruit medley, mixed fruits (packaged in water or juice), dried fruits (cranberries, raisins), fruit gummies, 100 percent fruit juice, dried fruit strips/fruit leathers, canned mandarins and peach halves, canned green beans, mixed vegetables, veggie crisps, canned corn and carrots, 2 percent-fat milk, and 4-oz. water bottles.
It is important that foods do not come in glass containers and are not expired. Also the foods must be canned or packaged.
“Collaborative agreements with companies such as DDR allow Food Bank programs to address the food scarcity problem of children and families living in low-income communities,” said Ivonne Bernard, executive director of the Food Bank of Puerto Rico.
“These efforts allow hundreds of minors in Puerto Rico to be better fed and, as a result, happier. With mutual collaboration, we can ensure that no one in Puerto Rico is left without food,” she said.
For more information on the initiative click HERE.
