Keene, NH — In 1957, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. posed the idea that “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Motivated by his dream of people collaborating to make a difference in their communities, teams of employees from the C&S Family of Companies in 14 states volunteered on or around the 2017 MLK Day of Service. They went to Head Start Schools and other schools in low-income neighborhoods to read books to students.
“There’s nothing more important than children because, being from the inner city, where I came from, it’s not too often that people did these types of things,” said C&S Operations Manager Michael Crutchfield. He works at the company’s Stockton, CA distribution center and volunteered alongside his coworkers to mark the MLK Day of Service by reading with 21 preschoolers.
Employees from the C&S Family of Companies, including first-time MLK Day of Service participants from Grocers Supply (TX), and FreshKO Produce Services (CA), engaged with students at the following:
- Alabama: Kershaw YMCA Head Start, Montgomery
- California: Roosevelt Preschool, Stockton; Ivy Head Start, Fresno
- Connecticut: Enfield Head Start, Enfield
- Florida: Smart Pope Livingston Elementary School, Jacksonville; Hal Marston Head Start, Orlando; Brentwood Elementary School, Miami Gardens; Strawberry Hills Head Start, Plant City
- Hawaii: Ewa Elementary School, Ewa Beach
- Louisiana: Hammond Head Start, Hammond
- Maryland: MRDC Head Start, Havre de Grace; MRDC Head Start, Elkton
- Massachusetts: The Growing Tree Learning Center, Westfield
- New Hampshire: Southwest Community Services Head Start, Keene; Southwest Community Services Head Start, Swanzey
- New York: RECAP Western Orange County Head Start, Middletown; Head Start of Orange County, Newburgh
- Pennsylvania: Donegan Elementary School, Bethlehem; Sonny Days Preschool, DuBois; ELCO-Fort Zeller Elementary, Richland
- South Carolina: Share Head Start, Greenville; CCSD Thomas Meyers II Head Start, Charleston
- Texas: Clayton Homes Head Start, Houston
- Vermont: West Bee Nursery School, Brattleboro
To further encourage reading, each student was surprised with two new, age-appropriate books of their own. A total of 2,500 books were provided by C&S through First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials, and other essentials to children in need.
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act was signed in 1994 to expand the mission of the holiday as a day of community service, interracial cooperation, and youth anti-violence initiatives.
About C&S Wholesale Grocers
C&S community involvement programs support initiatives to stop hunger and to promote the health and enrichment of communities that are homes to the company’s employees and facilities.
C&S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, N.H. is the largest food wholesaler and according to Forbes magazine, the 9th largest privately held company in the United States. The company distributes food to supermarkets, retail stores and military bases across the country.
Currently, C&S serves about 3,900 stores from more than 50 locations in 12 states. Among our customers are many of America’s best known companies, including Stop & Shop, Giant of Carlisle, Giant of Landover, Shaw’s, Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P), Ralphs, Safeway and Target.