Frozen Food Industry Supports Education of Fifty Plus Students in Food-Related Programs

HARRISBURG, PA—Marking its 37th year, the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats completed its 2003 fundraising drive for the Frozen Food Industry Memorial Scholarship Foundation reporting contributions of $62,775. Since the fund was established in 1966, contributions have totaled $937,225 enabling the industry to build on its commitment to future leaders by providing aid to 24 universities and colleges for more than 50 students preparing for careers in the food industry.

Success of the scholarship program is attributed to two major factors—strong across-the-board support by all segments of the industry including suppliers, plus a high renewal rate. This is reflected in the 92% of 2002 contributors who supported the program again in 2003, Robert E. Rich, Jr., current chairman of the Zerocrat Scholarship Committee points out.

The program’s growth can be effectively measured by looking back to its first 25 years ending in 1990 when solicitations, confined solely to Zerocrats, produced a total of $73,375 in funding. In 1991 solicitations were expanded to the industry as a whole. As a result, contributions soared—totaling $874,585 through the 13 years ending in 2002.

Although contributions have been impacted by the uncertain economy of the past few years and the industry’s strong trend toward consolidation, a strong core of support for the program remains intact. The Frozen Food Industry Memorial Scholarship Foundation is taking aim in 2004 at hitting $1 million in total contributions.

The Distinguished Order of Zerocrats was formed in 1954 to honor top officials of the industry and allied industry associations, as well as other individuals who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the frozen food industry. In 1965, a Scholarship Committee was formed to support the education of future industry leaders.

At its inception, the Scholarship Committee solicited funds solely from Zerocrat members. Upon the 1990 appointment of Bob Rich, Sr. as committee chairman, a fundamental change was made in the way funds were solicited. Bob’s first recommendation was to solicit contributions from the entire industry, dramatically increasing funding.

Scholarship contributions for 2003 were solicited under the direction of Bob Rich, Jr. current chairman of the Zerocrat Scholarship Committee.

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