Meeting the Need: Unilever Supports America’s Food Banks at a Time of Surging Demand

August 30, 2022 at 10:45 AM EDT

Unilever U.S. is donating $13 million worth of cleaning products, personal care items and food to local communities

Food banks across America report they are struggling to stock their shelves, affected by surging demand, supply chain issues, a decrease in donations, and the current economic landscape. To support communities across the country, Unilever U.S. is donating an estimated retail value of more than $13 million dollars in products.

In addition to food products from Knorr, Hellmann's, and Sir Kensington’s, the donations include Seventh Generation household cleaners and personal care products from brands Dove, Vaseline, Degree, TRESemmé, Suave, AXE, and Love Beauty and Planet. Home care and personal care products are in high demand at foodbanks as they are not covered by the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“Our partners from Feeding America shared the growing pressure food banks are under right now, and we have a responsibility to the communities we serve to help meet some of the need for personal care, home care and food pantry items,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, President of Unilever U.S. and CEO of Unilever Personal Care North America. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, Unilever has donated more than $50 million worth of everyday products and services, providing much needed relief to those in need. We will continue working with our partners, using the scale of our business to improve people’s access to nutrition, hygiene and wellbeing.”

Unilever partners Feeding America and Kids in Need are assisting to divide the products among food banks and schools in local communities in New England, New York, Texas, Arkansas, California and more.

“Just as we are seeing pandemic relief efforts wind down, record increases in food and high gas prices are bringing more people to food banks and food pantries for help,” said Erika Thiem, chief supply chain officer at Feeding America. “We are grateful to partners like Unilever that are stepping up their donations of food, personal hygiene and home care products to support our efforts to expand equitable access to the communities that need it most.”

This work is in addition to Unilever’s recurring donations to Feeding America, which are part of its commitment to contribute to a fairer, more socially inclusive world. Harnessing the power of its brands, people and partners, Unilever aims to create a lasting positive impact on the planet and society while delivering superior performance.

Those looking to give or receive help can visit FeedingAmerica.org for more information.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 148,000 employees and generated sales of €52.4 billion in 2021. Over half of our footprint is in developing and emerging markets. We have around 400 brands found in homes all over the world – including iconic brands like Dove, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Magnum, Axe, Ben & Jerry’s, Degree, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé, and Vaseline.

Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. It goes back to the days of our founder William Lever, who launched the world’s first purposeful brand, Sunlight Soap, more than 100 years ago, and it’s at the heart of how we run our company today. The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while:

- improving the health of the planet;

- improving people's health, confidence and wellbeing; and

- contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world.

While there is still more to do, in the past year we’re proud to have achieved sector leadership in S&P’s Dow Jones Sustainability Index, ‘Triple A’ status in CDP’s Climate, Water and Forest benchmarks, and to be named as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey for the eleventh consecutive year.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com

For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca