GE Appliances' Donation Addresses Critical Food Bank Infrastructure Gap

LOUISVILLE, KY – December 18, 2025 – GE Appliances, a Haier company, is reinforcing its long-standing commitment to combating local food insecurity through a significant donation of cold storage units to Dare to Care Food Bank. The initiative provides new GE and GE Profile refrigerators and freezers to the food bank’s network of community partners, directly addressing one of the most persistent challenges in the fight against hunger: the ability to safely store and distribute fresh, perishable foods.

This latest effort expands a decades-long partnership between the Louisville-based appliance manufacturer and the region's largest hunger relief organization. By providing the essential infrastructure for refrigeration, the company is enabling local food pantries to offer more nutritious options to the families they serve across Kentucky and Indiana.

Breaking the Cold Chain Barrier

For food pantries on the front lines of hunger relief, the lack of reliable cold storage is a critical bottleneck. While shelf-stable goods are easier to manage, perishable items like fresh produce, dairy, and meat—which are crucial for a healthy diet—require a consistent and costly “cold chain” from donation to distribution. Without adequate refrigeration, pantries are often forced to turn away valuable donations of fresh food, leading to both food waste and missed nutritional opportunities for clients.

This is a widespread, systemic issue. A 2023 survey by the New York State Department of Health found that 54% of responding food pantries needed at least one new refrigerator. Similarly, research in New Hampshire revealed that an estimated 60% of pantries had insufficient refrigerated capacity. GE Appliances’ donation, which includes delivery and installation, provides a turnkey solution that alleviates this significant operational and financial burden for Dare to Care’s partner agencies.

By equipping pantries with modern, reliable refrigeration, the initiative empowers them to accept a wider variety of donations, including surplus produce from farmers and protein from retailers. This not only prevents food waste but also transforms these community hubs, allowing them to function more like small grocery stores offering healthier choices.

“Food is health and access to fresh produce and protein are essential for the overall well-being of the families we serve,” said Dare to Care President and CEO Vincent James. “This investment in cold storage expands what is possible for our network of community pantries.”

A Blueprint for Sustained Corporate Partnership

The donation is not an isolated act of charity but the latest chapter in a deep, evolving relationship between GE Appliances and Dare to Care. The partnership demonstrates a model of corporate social responsibility that has matured from employee-led volunteerism to strategic, high-impact infrastructure investment.

This history of collaboration is extensive. Each year, GE Appliances employees donate more than three tons of food through workplace drives. The company’s “The Blue Wave” volunteer initiative has mobilized employees for numerous projects, including a 2023 effort that collected nearly two tons of food and completed 22 transformational projects nationwide. Specific to Dare to Care, these projects have included landscaping at the main warehouse and outfitting the Dare to Care Community Kitchen with supplies to make it a functional classroom for teaching healthy cooking.

This new donation builds on past precedent. In 2018, GE Appliances donated 73 refrigerators and freezers to 46 local food pantries after Dare to Care identified aging and broken equipment as a major limiting factor for its partners. The consistent and targeted nature of this support has been instrumental in strengthening the food bank’s capacity over time.

“GE Appliances has been one of our most committed partners for many years,” James emphasized. “Together, we are strengthening the foundation for a healthier, more food-secure Kentuckiana.”

From Calories to Community Health

This initiative reflects a broader, crucial shift in the world of hunger relief: the move from simply providing calories to promoting long-term health and nutrition security. Public health research has consistently demonstrated a strong link between access to fresh, healthy food and reduced rates of chronic, diet-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Fresh foods supply essential nutrients like protein, iron, and vitamins that are often lacking in shelf-stable items.

By enabling pantries to offer a steady supply of fresh options, the program also fosters a more dignified and equitable experience for families. It provides them with the choice to select high-quality, healthy items for their households, empowering them to prepare nutritious meals. This focus on dignity and choice is a core component of modern food security efforts.

“Access to fresh, healthy food should not be a privilege,” stated Katina Whitlock, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications and Community Engagement at GE Appliances. “Our employees care deeply about this community, and this partnership with Dare to Care allows us to support families in a meaningful, lasting way. By providing cold storage infrastructure, we are helping ensure pantries can offer the nutritious food that fuels health, dignity, and opportunity.”

The impact ripples beyond individual families, strengthening the entire community's health resilience. When pantries can reliably offer fresh food, they become stronger pillars of public health, actively contributing to the prevention of chronic disease and the overall well-being of the neighborhoods they serve.

A Public-Private Model for Systemic Change

The collaboration between GE Appliances and Dare to Care highlights the power of public-private partnerships in addressing complex societal challenges. The cost of commercial-grade refrigeration is a major capital expense that many small, non-profit pantries cannot afford. A targeted, in-kind donation of this nature directly removes that barrier, freeing up the non-profit's limited financial resources for other critical services.

This model of providing essential infrastructure is gaining recognition as a highly effective form of corporate philanthropy. It moves beyond one-time financial grants or product giveaways to build the long-term capacity of partner organizations. This approach creates a multiplier effect; a single donated freezer can enable a pantry to accept and distribute thousands of pounds of fresh food over its lifespan, benefiting countless individuals.

This strategy aligns with broader efforts seen across the country, where both government bodies and large foundations are making significant investments in the food bank cold chain. By stepping in with its own products and expertise, GE Appliances demonstrates a potent and replicable model for how corporations can leverage their core assets to generate profound and lasting social impact.

By providing the essential tools for cold storage, the initiative strengthens the entire food distribution network across the region. This targeted investment ensures that donations of fresh produce from local farmers and surplus from retailers can be saved and distributed, ultimately transforming local pantries into more robust centers for community health and nutrition for thousands of families in Kentucky and Indiana.