French freight anad logistics giant CMA CGM has opened a “Solidarity Warehouse” to support food aid organizations and meal distribution centers and will pay for much of the project through its charitable CMA CGM Foundation, the company said today.
Located in the company’s headquarters city of Marseille, the facility offers 54,000 square feet of storage space with the capacity to handle 3,200 tons of food. It also offers 5,400 square feet of office space, and 3,800 square feet of cold storage chambers that can accommodate 300 pallets of fresh and frozen products.
It will function as a shared space for five organizations: Restos du Cœur, the French Red Cross, Secours Populaire, ANDES, and Secours Catholique. While maintaining their unique missions, those organizations can pool their efforts to deliver more effective aid, particularly in the realm of food assistance, the company said.
CMA CGM’s Foundation will cover the full cost of equipping the warehouse and 50% of its annual operating costs. The partner organizations contribute 20%, based on the space they occupy, while the remaining 30% is funded by the State (via the Prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône), the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, and the City of Marseille, through subsidies provided to the organizations.
"The CMA CGM Foundation has been working with French food aid organizations for several years. These organizations are currently facing an increase in demand and a lack of resources, particularly for the storage, transport and distribution of food,” Tanya Saadé Zeenny, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, said in a release. “The Solidarity Warehouse will optimize storage space, improve working conditions for volunteers, and make the distribution of food aid more efficient. This is a true social innovation and a significant investment that makes this facility unique in its technology, its relevance and, most importantly, its usefulness."
