Second Helpings Atlanta partners with Hello Fresh to combat food insecurity

HelloFresh, a German-based company that delivers "meal kids." said this week it will close its 727-worker distribution center in Newnan.  CONTRIBUTED

HelloFresh, a German-based company that delivers "meal kids." said this week it will close its 727-worker distribution center in Newnan. CONTRIBUTED

Second Helpings Atlanta is partnering with HelloFresh, an international meal kit company, and Pratt Industries, America’s 5th largest corrugated packaging company, to distribute 8,000 meals to food insecure people in the City of Atlanta every week through 2022, according to a press release. The program is called Meals with Meaning and is part of HelloFresh’s Beyond the Box giving initiative.

HelloFresh, who already is a food donor partner with Second Helpings, provides the ingredients to assemble two different recipe kits each week, and Pratt Industries provides the packaging.

“We are tapping into the amazing SHA network to gather at least 20 volunteers every Wednesday morning at our warehouse on the Westside to put the kits together. Then, in the afternoon, we will deliver the kits to a few different locations in Atlanta where they will be distributed to residents who need help accessing fresh food,” said Andrea Jaron. executive director. “As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified food insecurity over the past year, and a recent study from The Fresh Food Access Report states that nearly 25% of Atlanta residents are not within a half-mile of fresh food. The goal of the Meals with Meaning program is to provide access to fresh, nutritious food, distributing over 400,000 meals through 2022.”