The United Food Bank of Plant City was chosen by the Cabot Creamery Co-operative as the recipients of a visit from the Farmer’s Gratitude Grille.
Cabot is no stranger to Plant City. In 2017, the company participated in creating the world’s largest strawberry smoothie at the annual Florida Strawberry Festival. More than 250 gallons of Cabot Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt and 2,000 pounds of fresh Florida strawberries came together for one 1,000 gallon shake. All of the proceeds were donated and a majority of that went directly to UFB.
“Out of the blue they contacted us to do their gratitude grill,” Angelica Conrad, operations manager at UFB, said. “It’s something they do out of the kindness of their heart. They just travel from location to location and they cook for the volunteers and the staff of those in the community that do good.”
Cabot picks locations across the country where an organization or business is helping the community prosper and
honors them with a free hot-cooked meal. Over 500 people volunteer at the food bank throughout the course of the year. In 2017 alone there were approximately 7,000 volunteer hours logged at the bank, according to Conrad.
The food bank is run predominately on volunteer labor and Conrad said those who spend their time within UFB’s walls become family for the staff. She said they are always grateful for opportunities to love on those who give back to the community by serving at the food bank.
Cindy Stoker, a brand ambassador for Cabot, flipped dozens of grilled pimento cheese sandwiches on the grill in the mobile kitchen. Debbie Rita, a local representative, greeted volunteers as she filled their plates with hot, cheesy sandwiches and a fresh salad. Both said it was an honor to be able to serve those who spend their lives caring for others.
“Being that Cabot is a dairy farmer-owned cooperative, our farmers are the key volunteers within their communities,” Stoker said. “You don’t see Cabot advertising a lot in glossy publications and on television, so our farmers got together and said, ‘Let’s do something with our marketing money to give back.’ So they developed the Cabot Farmer’s Gratitude Grille to provide goodness for good.”
Stoker said Cabot’s prior partnership with UFB made them an easy choice for their Gratitude Grille. She said the company visits food banks across the country but they always love returning to Plant City.
The Grille was created in 2014 and hits the road year-round from Florida all the way up the east coast.
“We tend to use when we’re in Florida, Florida Natural, because like Cabot they’re also a cooperative of growers,” Stoker said.
As volunteers and board members from the food bank enjoyed their fresh lunches, Stoker and Rita happily informed them of Cabot’s love and appreciation for community activism.