DS Smith Backs 'Thanksgiving for Thousands' Community Outreach

DS Smith to provide boxes, resources in support of Mountaire Farms’ 26th Annual Thanksgiving for Thousands

CAMBRIDGE, Md. ­- Nov. 22, 2020 – DS Smith is proudly assisting innovation partner Mountaire Farms by donating corrugated boxes and employee resources as part of its efforts to provide wholesome Thanksgiving meals to residents in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina.

Mountaire’s Thanksgiving for Thousands program, which began 26 years ago, is again fostering community spirit this holiday season, bringing together its employees, 150 area churches, food pantries and community groups to supply meals on Delmarva and the Lumber Bridge and Siler City, N.C., communities Mountaire serves.

“We are packing over 20,000 boxes between Delmarva and North Carolina this year as part of our ‘Mountaire Cares’ program that gives back to the communities where we do business,” said Catherine M. Bassett, director of communications and community relations. “We’re a family-owned and -operated business that started in 1914, and we treat our employees and community like family as well.”

Bassett added, “We are so grateful to have a partner like DS Smith that understands that making a positive impact is why we do what we do. Their contribution to this project has been critical, because we pack every single box with food and love.”

DS Smith will provide the 20,000-plus custom-printed boxes again this year, and dozens of employees from its Cambridge and Columbia facilities have donated their time and energy behind the scenes to assist with coordinating the production, delivery and assembly of the boxes, as well as packing the meals onsite as part of the onsite volunteer support.

 “Our DS Smith family on Delmarva looks forward to this event. We’re proud to be a part of the 26th anniversary of Mountaire’s annual Thanksgiving for Thousands program,” said Melanie Galloway, the sales, marketing and innovation director at DS Smith Packaging North America. “Over the years, we’ve collaborated with Mountaire to create a durable, sustainable box for the event that ensures the food inside arrives as intended and the box can be reused by the recipient. We’re honored to be a part of this community outreach, and it’s a win-win for everyone involved.”

Every box distributed will provide all the necessary ingredients to cook a nutritious Thanksgiving dinner for up to six people. These ingredients include a Mountaire roaster, corn, string beans, yams, stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce and brownie mix. The dinner boxes will be distributed during the Thanksgiving week to food pantries, churches, and community groups who find families in need.

Mountaire Farms & DS Smith: A history of sustainable innovation

Mountaire and DS Smith have a history of impactful collaborations that benefit the wider community. In 2009, DS Smith Packaging Cambridge partnered with Mountaire Farms to develop Greencoat®, an innovative and sustainable alternative to traditional wax boxes that has revolutionized poultry packaging.

DS Smith’s Greencoat boxes have significantly reduced Mountaire Farm’s carbon footprint and streamlined its supply chain. The FBA-certified, 100% recyclable, repulpable and compostable box can be used to pack poultry, meat, seafood, fresh produce, floral and stone products.

Over the last nine years, more than 600,000 tons of Greencoat wax replacement boxes were able to be recycled instead of the same number of wax-coated boxes, creating a positive revenue stream and significantly reducing the impact on local landfills, greenhouse gases and vehicle emissions.

About Mountaire Farms

Mountaire® is a registered trademark of Mountaire Corporation.  Mountaire Corporation and its affiliates, Mountaire Farms Inc. and Mountaire Farms of Delaware, Inc. (collectively, “Mountaire”), are agricultural food production and processing companies providing work for almost 10,000 people at facilities in Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Mountaire is a privately owned, Jesus-centered company with a commitment to the communities in which our employees work and live. For more information, visit www.mountaire.com or visit us on Facebook.

About DS Smith 

DS Smith North America produces recyclable Greencoat® for poultry, produce and other applications where adverse conditions require moisture and temperature-resistant packaging.

DS Smith is a leading provider of corrugated packaging worldwide, supported by recycling and papermaking operations. A member of the FTSE 100, DS Smith focuses on creating innovative and sustainable packaging solutions, using a closed-loop recycling model – in which paper and corrugated is collected, recycled and then used again to make packaging materials. North American operations are headquartered in Atlanta, with 15 manufacturing, paper and recycling facilities, totaling more than 2,000 employees. Using the combined expertise of its divisions – including Packaging, Recycling, Paper – DS Smith works with customers to develop solutions that reduce complexity and deliver results throughout the supply chain.