Seald Sweet celebrates ongoing program to benefit US military families
During in-store promotions and grower-attended product demonstrations recently at military base commissaries in the Florida Panhandle region, representatives from Seald Sweet, DeCA, Military Produce Group, and the (South African) Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum participated in a ceremony where a check for $10,000 from Seald Sweet was presented to the Eglin Air Force Base Fisher House manager, who represented Fisher House Foundation. The donations from Seald Sweet’s fundraising programs are earned through purchases of summer citrus in specially marked packaging and are directed to Fisher House’s programs. These programs provide funding for unmet needs such as short-term housing during wounded service members medical treatment and scholarship programs for military children.
The grower-attended events took place at the Panhandle commissaries: Tyndall AFB, Eglin AFB, Hulbert Field and Pensacola NSA. During the product demonstrations, samples of fresh South African Navels and Clementines were provided to customers. The involvement of the grower in these demos helps to educate consumers on products and growing operations, further explaining how the seasonality of the products compliments the availability of domestically grown citrus. Additionally, product demonstrations with Produce Specialists were held in more than 80 of the DeCA commissaries in the Eastern half of the United States.
“We are very excited to continue growing and building this program,” said Kim Flores, Seald Sweet’s Director of Marketing. “Our close relationships with our South African citrus growers have enabled us to continue building the category and programs in the commissaries while simultaneously giving back to our service members. Fisher House is an outstanding organization and we are honoured to have a continued opportunity to contribute to their programs.”
The Fisher House Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to meet the needs of wounded service members and their families beyond what is normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs by donating “comfort homes” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centres. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury. Funds contributed to Fisher House also provide scholarships for military members and dependants.
“We are thrilled with the ongoing commitment of Seald Sweet to improve the quality of life for members of the Armed Forces and their families through its annual donation to Fisher House Foundation,” said Fisher House Foundation Vice President Jim Weiskopf. “By designating the donation to the Foundation’s scholarship program, Seald Sweet is helping military families faced with the increasing costs of education for their children.”
The promotions will continue to run through September in the eastern US commissaries. Fisher House supports service members and their families year-round and awards scholarships to selected military children annually.
To learn more about South African Summer Citrus, the Fisher House Foundation, Military Produce Group, or the Defense Commissary Agency see www.summercitrus.com, www.fisherhouse.org, www.militaryproduce.com, www.commissaries.com.
For more information:
Kim Flores
Seald Sweet
Email: kflores@sealdsweet.com