Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Rick Pate Recognizes Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., for Their Donation of 64,000 Eggs to Feeding the Gulf Coast for Families Impacted by COVID-19 

July 17, 2020 – On Friday, July 17, at 11:30 a.m., Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Rick Pate joined Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. at Feeding the Gulf Coast in recognition for their donation of 64,000 eggs to Feeding the Gulf Coast. This generous contribution is designed to help families of south Alabama and people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families across Alabama are experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cal-Maine’s generous donation of 64,000 eggs will provide support and a nutritious meal to the people of south Alabama. "This donation of fresh, nutritious eggs will be an incredible blessing to children, families and seniors along the Central Gulf Coast who are in need," says Dave Reaney, Interim CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast. "In our nine-county Alabama service area, we estimate that over 170,000 individuals will experience hunger this year due to the lasting economic impacts of COVID-19. These fresh eggs are a versatile source of protein for the plates of so many in need in our service area." 

The eggs were delivered from Cal-Maine’s location in Robertsdale, Ala. to Feeding the Gulf Coast’s warehouse on Friday morning. In total, Cal-Maine donated nearly 300,000 eggs to Feeding America Food Banks and other organizations across the state of Alabama.

Since the pandemic began in early March, Feeding the Gulf Coast has distributed over 8 million meals to those in need. The lines are longer and the need is far greater than anything we would have imagined as individuals have lost wages and hours at work. Navigating gaps in the food supply has been a challenge as we have worked to keep up with the demand. This increased need and decreased availability make donations like this a critical link to the product the food bank is able to push out through partner agencies and mobile food distributions. 

"I want to thank Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. out of Baldwin County for the generous donation of eggs and Mark Colson of the Alabama Trucking Association for the delivery. This donation will improve the lives of many Alabamians struggling during the pandemic,” said Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Rick Pate. "Cal-Maine showed me they were a responsible, sustainable corporate citizen to care about our underserved citizens, and to have the Alabama Trucking association quickly agree to provide transportation for the delivery was gratifying.”

Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is the largest producer and marketer of shell eggs in the United States. In 2019, they sold over 1 billion dozen shell eggs. Cal-Maine manages a total flock of approximately 36.2 million layers and 9.4 million pullets and breeders.

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About Feeding the Gulf Coast
Feeding the Gulf Coast, formerly Bay Area Food Bank, serves a 24-county area spanning the Florida panhandle, south Alabama, and south Mississippi. In 2019, the food bank distributed over 24 million meals to over 400 church pantries, soup kitchens, and other nonprofit organizations throughout its service area. The food bank also operates multiple hunger-relief and nutrition programs, including Summer Meals, Afterschool Meal, Backpack, Disaster Relief, Mobile Pantry and Produce Drop Distributions and Nutrition Education. Feeding the Gulf Coast is a United Way member agency and a member of Feeding America. For more information, visit www.feedingthegulfcoast.org.