Happy Thanksgiving – CUFO Shares Spirit of Gratitude with Staff and the Local Community

A meal gift was offered to CUFO staff, with the option to donate it to local organizations. 

To express appreciation for the dedication and hard work of staff over the past year, Columbia Dining and CUFO Human Resources collaborated to offer staff a frozen turkey, vegetable lasagna, or a vegan mac and cheese dish. Employees could select one of these options or support Columbia Community Service by donating their meal to a local organization.   

A total of 1,500 frozen turkeys were donated and distributed to local organizations serving Thanksgiving meals to those in need – combining CUFO employee donations with additional contributions made by Columbia Community Service, Columbia Dining, and Sysco (Columbia Dining’s food procurement company). The local organizations distributing these turkeys include the Boriken Neighborhood Health Center, Broadway Community, Inc., Cathedral Community Cares, Church of the Ascension Food Pantry, Drew Hamilton Community Center, NY Common Pantry, PA'LANTE Harlem, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, and West Side Campaign Against Hunger. 

CUFO departments teamed up with Skanska to gift meal kits directly to Columbia neighbors. 

Continuing a Thanksgiving tradition, departments across Facilities and Operations – led by Construction Business Initiatives and Dining and with the help of Public Safety – teamed up with the construction company Skanska USA to assemble and distribute 300 meal kits to local families. The meal kits featured Thanksgiving favorites to cook at home including a turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, potatoes, dinner rolls, celery, onions, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Volunteers from CUFO and Skanska distributed the meal kits to residents of Grant Houses and Manhattanville Houses, as well as members of the West Harlem Older Adult Alliance at an event at the Lee C. Bollinger Forum.