CMA CGM Group food donations serve more than 130,000 people during the Thanksgiving holiday

• Thousands of turkeys and food assistance to be donated and distributed in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Norfolk, Houston, Savannah and Washington, D.C.
• CMA CGM Group subsidiaries CEVA Logistics and American President Lines (APL) aiding in the transportation of the turkeys and servicing U.S. troops and their families.
• CMA CGM Group is supporting local agriculture and sustainable business practices through all-natural, antibiotic-free turkeys sourced direct from the farm.

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, announced today its third annual Giving Across America initiative. This initiative is highlighted by the donation of 10,000 turkeys and more than 3,000 meals to help make celebrating Thanksgiving possible for approximately 130,000 people*.

Distributing thousands of turkeys across America
Turkey distributions will begin on Saturday, Nov. 12 in Los Angeles, Calif. The distributions will continue in New York (Brooklyn) on Nov. 15; Nashville, Tenn. on Friday, Nov. 18; Norfolk, Va. on Nov. 19 along with hot meals on Sunday, Nov. 20; Houston, Texas on Nov. 21; and Savannah, Ga. on Wednesday, Nov. 23.

The Group has also sponsored and will be distributing food boxes to U.S. troops and their families near Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 as part of the United Service Organization's (USO) Turkeys for Troops program.

A charitable initiative supported by the entire CMA CGM Group and partners
Turkeys donated in Houston are being coordinated through both CMA CGM and Group subsidiary CEVA Logistics, who is also providing U.S. ground transportation for all distributions. APL, the Group subsidiary dedicated to serving the U.S. government and its military, is participating in both the Nashville distribution and the USO Turkeys for Troops program in Washington, D.C.

Various local charitable organizations helping coordinate turkey distributions include Second Harvest Foodbank in Nashville; Salvation Army in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Norfolk; Feed the Hungry in Savannah; and the USO. Adform Creative, a branded merchandise agency, has also partnered with CMA CGM to produce and purchase sustainable, reusable shopping bags to accompany each turkey.

Supporting agriculture and sustainable business practices
As the United States' largest export carrier and an advocate for local farms and sustainable business practices, CMA CGM procured the all-natural, antibiotic-free turkeys for its U.S. holiday food assistance program this year from Koch's Turkey Farm, a third-generation, family-owned farm in Pennsylvania. Koch's is known for being one of the first to grow antibiotic-free turkeys with an all-vegetarian diet and the first turkey producer to be Certified Humane® in the United States. 

Last month, the CMA CGM Group in partnership with Sun Youth, provided 1,000 turkeys along with sustainable shopping bags for families in Montréal, Canada.

Ed Aldridge, President of CMA CGM and American President Lines North America, stated, "At CMA CGM, we are honored to not only demonstrate our commitment to BETTER WAYS of doing business by giving back to our local communities, but to also support America's poultry industry and the farmers who make this holiday possible. It is our hope that providing a healthy Thanksgiving staple to families who need support will ensure thousands more Americans are able to enjoy this special holiday."

About CMA CGM
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, serves more than 420 ports around the world across 5 continents, with a fleet of 583 vessels. The Group transported 22 million TEU containers (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2021. With its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, a global logistics player which transported 474,000 tons of air cargo and more than 21 million tons of inland freight, and its air cargo division CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the CMA CGM Group is constantly innovating to provide customers a comprehensive and increasingly efficient offering, thanks to new shipping, inland, air freight and logistics solutions.

Firmly committed to the energy transition in shipping and a pioneer in its use of alternative fuels, the CMA CGM Group has set a Net Zero-Carbon target for 2050.

Each year, via the CMA CGM Foundation, the Group supports thousands of children as part of its efforts to promote education for all and equal opportunities. The CMA CGM Foundation also intervenes in humanitarian crises requiring an emergency response by calling on the Group's shipping and logistics expertise to deliver humanitarian supplies around the world.

Present in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs 150,000 people worldwide, including 2,900 in Marseille where its head office is located. In the United States, CMA CGM, which is headquartered in Norfolk, Va., employs more than 22,000 people. Its subsidiary, American President Lines (APL), operates a fleet of U.S.-flagged vessels and supports U.S. territories and American military stationed around the world. Learn more at cmacgm-group.com.

*At 1.00 to 1.25 pounds per serving, a 14- to 16-pound turkey provides approximately 13 protein servings per bird (130,000 servings for 10,000 turkeys + hot meals and food boxes in select cities).

SOURCE CMA CGM