The Maker of RAGÚ Pasta Sauces Launches a Series of Donations to Help 18 Local Communities Across the U.S. Amid COVID-19
MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill., (May 14, 2020) – Today, the RAGÚ® brand announces a donation to the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club of Owensboro, Ky. The RAGÚ brand is providing a monetary donation and making a commitment to support the club’s Operation Club Cares program, which was implemented with the goal of providing hunger relief for families facing unprecedented hardships caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. The initiative supports families in need by offering bags of essential goods valued at approximately $20 per bag, with each bag containing the equivalent of five meals for families facing food insecurity during this difficult time. Each bag includes a variety of shelf-stable foods like RAGÚ Pasta Sauce, personal care items and kids’ games. Bags are distributed to members of the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club and their families every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time until the club reopens. Club members can pick up Operation Club Cares bags at the Buckland Square and Rolling Heights locations in Owensboro and at the Pebble Creek Drive location in Henderson, Ky. The Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club has also partnered with five local Owensboro schools and Rockport Elementary School in nearby Rockport, Ind. to impact more families and aid in the distribution of Operation Club Cares bags. The RAGÚ brand operates its sauce making and distribution facility in Owensboro, so the RAGÚ team and RAGÚ employees are honored to give back to members of the community in their own backyard.
“We’re overjoyed to receive this valuable commitment from Mizkan America on behalf of the RAGÚ pasta sauce brand. This will allow us to expand the Operation Club Cares program, enabling us to help 350 families per week,” said Steve Winkler, CEO at the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club. “We welcome this support on behalf of the RAGÚ brand because it will also increase the value of the essential food items included in our bags and give us the ability to extend the timeline of this initiative which benefits needy families in our community.”
“As a food company, we are excited about this new partnership with the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club to help address food insecurity. We wanted to support an organization in the Owensboro community and an institution valued by many of our local employees,” said Barb Pritikin, Senior Associate Brand Manager for Mizkan America, Inc.
Mizkan America, Inc. (“Mizkan”), the maker of RAGÚ pasta sauces, will also make monetary donations to local hunger-relief charities in each of the other 17 U.S. communities where the company operates both their plants and corporate headquarters to demonstrate the company’s gratitude for each and every employee across the nation. Mizkan hopes these donations will inspire hope in parents and children in all the communities where Mizkan operates in the U.S., and help families maintain a sense of normalcy during difficult times.
The Mizkan series of donations will reach different local organizations addressing hunger relief in the 18 U.S. plant and HQ communities where Mizkan team members work every day to make Mizkan’s delicious foods, including Owensboro, Ky., and the company’s U.S. headquarters in Mount Prospect, Ill. These donations are being made to honor Mizkan employees across the country who are working hard during the pandemic to ensure that pantry staples continue to make their way to grocery shelves. “We know that many families nationwide are finding their food budgets stretched, and our hope is to be able to provide hunger relief for families in all of the communities where Mizkan operates across the country,” said Pritikin.
Mizkan America operates in the following communities where donations are being made: Abbeville, La., Auburn, Neb., Belding, Mich., Crossville, Tenn., Dallas, Texas, Deming, N.M., Green Bay, Wis., Kansas City, Mo., Lake Alfred, Fla., Lyndonville, N.Y., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Shively, Ky., Sodus, N.Y., Stockton, Calif., Vado, N.M. and Watsonville, Calif.
For more information on the Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club Operation Club Cares program and RAGÚ pasta sauce, visit www.RAGÚ.com and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook or using the hashtag #RAGUSharesTheLove. For more information on the Mizkan family of brands, visit www.Mizkan.com.
About The RAGÚ® Brand
The RAGÚ® brand was founded in 1937 by Assunta and Giovani Cantisano and their sauce was originally sold from their home in Rochester, New York. Assunta carried her family’s recipe from Italy when she immigrated to New York in 1914, and it has now been enjoyed by American families for more than 80 years. With a wide selection of sauce varieties ranging from the beloved Old-World Style to the Chunky Line, Cheese Creations and Simply, RAGÚ sauce is always “simmered in tradition.” Today, RAGÚ sauce is the go-to pasta sauce for families coming together to share a quick and delicious meal. For the very latest news, recipes and more from the RAGÚ brand, please check out the brand at www.RAGÚ.com. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
About Mizkan America, Inc.
Based in Mount Prospect, IL, Mizkan America, Inc., is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor To Life™ for more than 215 years. As one of the leading makers of condiments and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 17 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty-Asian and food-ingredient trade channels. Since 2005, Mizkan America has seen dramatic growth and their portfolio now includes a wide variety of vinegars, Italian and Asian sauces, peppers, cooking wines, wine reductions, sushi seasoning and salad dressings. Mizkan America brands include: RAGÚ®, Bertolli®, Holland House®, NAKANO®, Nature’s Intent®, Rio Luna™, Mizkan®, Four Monks®, Barengo®, Mitsukan®, Tres Hermanas® and World Harbors®. Mizkan America is also the exclusive distributor for Angostura® Bitters in North America. For more information about Mizkan America, please visit: www.Mizkan.com.
About The Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club
The Owensboro Boys Club opened in 1967 in a building donated by Trinity Episcopal Church. The unit was soon renamed The Cliff Hagan Boys Club, in recognition of Cliff Hagan, an Owensboro native and standout basketball player at Owensboro High School, the University of Kentucky and in the National Basketball Association. Over the years, the club grew and changed locations. In 1993, the club opened its programs and services to girls and became The Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club. The club currently operates in four locations – The Mike Horn Unit and the Wightman Unit in Owensboro, Ky.; the Rockport Extension in Rockport, Ind.; and the Henderson Unit in Henderson, Ky. For more information about The Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, please visit: www.cliffhaganboysandgirlsclub.org
Contact:
Kelsey Taylor
806.570.9864
kelsey.taylor@hkstrategies.com