Melaleuca Makes Generous Donation

IDAHO FALLS -- Due to a stunning surprise donation, the Community Food Basket Idaho Falls (CFBIF) is now able to close its capital campaign and pay off the mortgage on its 22,0000-square-foot food storage warehouse. Thanks to the generosity of Melaleuca, the final $51,500 needed to end the capital campaign to purchase the warehouse has been donated to CFBIF. Melaleuca’s donation represents the single largest corporate donation in the warehouse capital campaign.

During the company’s holiday food drive, Melaleuca employees gave $34,228 in donations, which was equally matched by The Melaleuca Foundation, for a total of $68,456 to benefit the hungry. Inspired by Melaleuca’s mission of enhancing lives, employees from one department challenged those from other departments in entertaining competitions to see who could raise the most money. In addition to this $51,500 contribution to the CFBIF, Melaleuca bought turkeys and groceries for the Thanksgiving meal hosted by The Salvation Army to benefit the elderly, homeless, disabled and the less fortunate in the community.

“Melaleuca’s Team Members are known for their generosity, compassion and commitment to enhancing lives,” said Melaleuca CEO Frank VanderSloot. “They came together to help the hungry, especially during the holidays, and they raised enough to transform the future of CFBIF and those who benefit from it. The Melaleuca Foundation was pleased to partner with them in support of a nonprofit that has improved our community for decades.”

As a result of the successful capital campaign, CFBIF will now be able to reallocate the majority of its lease payment each month to buy more food and enhance programs for less-fortunate families. Melaleuca said this reinvestment of funds, which enables the nonprofit to help even more struggling families, was a key factor in making this donation.

After 41 years of service to East Idaho communities and multiple food storage locations, CFBIF will now be the proud owner of their food storage warehouse located at 1895 N. Blvd in Idaho Falls. A legacy gift to the community, this warehouse stores both dry and refrigerated food items for CFB clients and for other programs who supply food (including The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen), along with a Diaper Bank, school pantry donations, and a newly organized mattress program. This warehouse helps 22 other nonprofits by serving as a central location for food storage in southeast Idaho.

“Melaleuca’s generous donation ends our capital campaign to raise the funds needed to pay off the mortgage of our food storage warehouse and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” says Ariel Jackson, Executive Director of Community Food Basket Idaho Falls. After 42 years, our food donations now have a permanent home in Idaho Falls and the legacy that so many hardworking folks and businesses have built is secure,” she continued.

Other major donors include The Four Amigas (four anonymous women), the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, Albertsons Foundation, Idaho Community Foundation, and the CHC Foundation.

Melaleuca has been a longstanding contributor to the Community Food Basket Idaho Falls. In 2018, the company purchased several commercial freezers and refrigerators, and in 2020 it built a temperature-controlled facility outside the warehouse for the public to drop off food even if CFBIF is closed. And for more than 30 years, Melaleuca has funded the expenses for regional food drives that have repeatedly filled the warehouse to help those who are hungry.

Community Food Basket’s 5-day per week food distribution program has become a staple of our community as the need for food has risen significantly over the past two years. CFBIF works to meet the emergency food needs of families and individuals facing food-insecurity in the greater Idaho Falls area and is feeding up to 2,000 local families per month.