It's in the Bag! LyondellBasell and Victory Plastic Donating Product and Production for Much-Needed Plastic Bags for Food Distribution
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HOUSTON...When you’re in the food distribution business, there are certain must-haves, like boxes and bags. These two items are some of the most crucial for getting food to those in need. And thanks to a generous donation from LyondellBasell and Victory Plastic, the Houston Food Bank has it in the bag!
It started with an idea from John Kreger, director of product resources for the Houston Food Bank, to approach companies that might donate plastic resin and manufacturing to create bags for several Food Bank programs that rely on bags. Houston Food Bank uses approximately 63,000 recyclable plastic bags each month, so partnering with a donor for bags could be a great savings to the non-profit organization. Kreger spoke with Jeff Applegate, president of the Greater Houston Manufacturing Association, who liked the idea and sent several e-mails on the food bank’s behalf. The e-mail caught the attention of Bill Diecks, a member of The South Texas Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers, who then contacted several companies that manufacture the resin to see if they would be interested.
LyondellBasell graciously agreed to support this program for three months by donating 16,500 pounds of plastic resin to make the bags pledged to the Houston Food Bank. LyondellBasell’s donation included extra resin to Victory Plastic, who will be manufacturing the bags, to cover the cost of making the bags produced for the Food Bank.
LyondellBasell’s generous donation will provide 93,000 quart-size bags that Houston Food Bank uses for repacking bulk rice and bean donations into portions for family boxes (31,000 used monthly), and 96,000 recyclable plastic shopping bags used for the Backpack Buddy program to pack nutritious nonperishable foods for selected kids to take home for the weekend (32,000 used monthly).
“This partnership will save the Houston Food Bank approximately $15,000 this quarter, which will allow us to distribute an additional 45,000 meals with the funds saved,” says Kreger.
“Linking one of the plastic industry’s largest producers of resin with one of the nation’s largest hunger relief agencies – both right here in Houston – is a natural fit,” said Tim Roberts, LyondellBasell Executive Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins – Americas. “This is another example of how the products we produce are helping improve the quality of life for people around the world and how we engage in the communities where we operate.”
This partnership is currently underway and will run through December. It is Houston Food Bank’s hope that this will continue.
For more information on Houston Food Bank and its programs, visit www.HoustonFoodBank.org.
LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) is one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies and a member of the SP 500. LyondellBasell (www.lyondellbasell.com) manufactures products at 58 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items that improve the quality of life for people around the world including packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels.
About the Houston Food Bank
Now operating from a new, 308,000 square-foot facility, the Houston Food Bank is the nation’s largest size Feeding America food bank and source of food for hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties. They have been named top charity in Texas by Charity Navigator for financial performance and accountability. A network of nearly 600 food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers and other agencies, feeding a total of 137,000 people each week, provides more than 53 million nutritious meals annually. Fresh produce, meat and nonperishables are distributed from the new warehouse at 535 Portwall, and hot meals are prepared and distributed from Keegan Center, a 15,000 square-foot industrial kitchen. Additional community services range from nutrition education to assistance with food stamp applications and hands-on job training. Red Barrels offer a convenient way for grocery shoppers to donate nonperishables for their neighbors in need. The Houston Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a certified member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network. The organization plans to grow to provide100 million nutritious meals annually by 2018. Visit HoustonFoodBank.org for more information. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/HoustonFoodBank or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/HoustonFoodBank.
