CMA CGM Group supports thousands of Americans across the country with Thanksgiving food donations

NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, today announced several Thanksgiving initiatives to support Americans, including the donation of 12,000 large turkeys (18 to 20 lbs. each) and over a thousand meals to help make celebrating the holidays possible for more than 130,000 Americans*.

Distributing turkeys across the nation to those in need

Turkey distributions will begin on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Los Angeles (Cal.). The distributions will continue the following week in Nashville (Tenn.) and Wilmington (De.) on Friday, Nov. 19; Houston (Texas) on Saturday, Nov. 20; and Savannah (Ga.) on Tuesday, Nov. 23, all of which have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and/or natural disasters.

The Group also plans to provide turkeys to U.S. troops and their families on Wednesday, Nov. 17 (near Washington, D.C.) and will hold a turkey distribution on Saturday, Nov. 20 along with hot meals on Sunday, Nov. 21 in Norfolk (Va.), where CMA CGM's U.S. headquarters is located.

A charitable initiative supported by the entire CMA CGM Group family

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.

Strategic partnerships designed to ensure successful outreach

Various local charitable organizations helping coordinate turkey distributions include Second Harvest Foodbank in Nashville; Families Helping Families Houston; the Salvation Army in Los Angeles, Wilmington, and Norfolk; Savannah Feed the Hungry; and the USO. Port partners assisting with turkey distributions include Georgia Port Authority and the Port of Los Angeles. In Norfolk, the Port of Virginia and CMA CGM are jointly sponsoring and working with the Salvation Army to distribute hot meals the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Deeply committed to serving America  

CMA CGM's Thanksgiving initiative, called Giving Across America, is part of the company's continued commitment to the United States. Earlier in the year, CMA CGM announced it was bringing 400 more jobs to Virginia and recently provided critical supplies, including large refrigerated containers with generator sets, to Louisiana communities impacted by Hurricane Ida. The company has also held several other sustainability initiatives this year such as recycling old electronics to provide phone cards for U.S. soldiers deployed overseas and the recent launch of an initiative to restore 5.5 million oysters to the Chesapeake Bay.

Ed Aldridge, President of CMA CGM and American President Lines North America, stated, "The CMA CGM Group is committed to finding BETTER WAYS to serve our communities. The past year and a half has been extremely difficult for families all across the country. We are grateful that we can help Americans who need support this holiday season by providing a Thanksgiving staple: the turkey."

About CMA CGM

Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group, a global leader in shipping and logistics, serves more than 420 ports around the world on five continents. Backed by a fleet of 542 vessels, in 2020 the Group transported nearly 21 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) containers. With its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics, which transports 400,000 tons of air freight and 2.8 million tons of land freight each year, and its air freight division CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the CMA CGM Group is continually innovating to offer its customers a complete and increasingly efficient range of new shipping, land, air and logistics solutions.

Committed to the energy transition in shipping, and a pioneer in the use of alternative fuels, the CMA CGM Group has set a target of carbon neutrality by 2050. An approach involving ongoing improvement which brings concrete results, with a decrease of 4% in the total CO₂ emissions of the Group in 2020.

Through the CMA CGM Foundation, every year the Group helps thousands of children through its actions to promote education for all and equal opportunity. The CMA CGM Foundation also acts in humanitarian crises that require an emergency response by mobilizing the Group's shipping and logistics expertise to bring humanitarian supplies around the world.

Present in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 110,000 people worldwide, including 2,400 in Marseilles where its head office is located. In the United States, CMA CGM Group, which is headquartered in Norfolk, Va., employs more than 12,000 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.

*Statistic based on average number of Thanksgiving dinner guests per household (11) from Financial Times, November 2019, How I Learnt to Love Thanksgiving, https://www.ft.com/content/ad5ac488-046a-11ea-a958-5e9b7282cbd1. At approximately 1.25 pounds per servings, an 18- to 20-pound turkey provides an average of 15 protein servings per bird (180,000 servings for 12,000 turkeys).

SOURCE CMA CGM