Increase food access to greater Chicagoland this season

Chicago, IL – Cooler Management is proud to announce a new campaign this season to increase fresh food access to make an impact on rural and underserved communities in greater Chicagoland.

With your help, feeding partners will be able to deliver fresh and nutritious foods to vulnerable communities with new mobile feeding units and cold-storage solutions. Kickoff for the campaign begins August 29 through December 31. Businesses can participate by donating directly to the campaign link, or running a sales drive with a minimum donation guarantee.

Without cold-storage infrastructure and the ability to meet the most vulnerable directly in their communities, the reality of increasing the consumption of safe, nutritious food and dairy is becoming more difficult. According to the 2021 Feeding America meal gap projection, one in 12 neighbors in the greater Chicagoland are facing hunger which is a 21% increase from pre-pandemic conditions.

The campaign hopes to raise enough funds for one Park-It Market, a refrigerated mobile market, and multiple refrigeration coolers to support food bank and food pantry operations. "Our neighbors continue to struggle to meet the needs of their families across Northern Illinois," said Chris White, Chief Operations Officer of the Northern Illinois Food Bank. "We're grateful for partners helping us remove barriers like a lack of transportation to help ensure that our neighbors have access to more fresh food that they need to thrive."

Not only can refrigeration units help keep produce in line with food safety standards, the mobile Park-It Market has proven to deliver 3 tons of fresh food and run continuously for 36-hours. It requires no CDL license to operate and can be towed by non-commercial vehicles, perfect for standard food bank operations.

"We are excited to be able to help our charitable food partners and organizations expand their operation capacity to bring more fresh produce and dairy to communities with an innovative solution that addresses transportation and storage concerns directly," said Mark Inkrott, CEO and Managing Partner of Cooler Management. "We hope that these equipment solutions will change the way we look at addressing hunger and how we distribute to communities in need."

For more information about how to participate in the Fresh Has No Boundaries Campaign or to learn more, visit www.biggertable.org/fresh/