May 21, 2010 9:27 AM

From left: Joe Tracy, Dot Foods president and chief operating officer; John Tracy, chief executive officer; and Pat Tracy, chairman of the board.

When Dot Foods Inc turns 50 years old May 26, it will kick off a nationwide tour to donate a total of 270,000 pounds of food to Feeding America food banks near its locations across the nation. The food will be delivered by a special golden anniversary trailer.

“Giving back to the community is an important part of our corporate culture at Dot,” said Pat Tracy, chairman. “We’re working with Feeding America to distribute the food to local agencies in the communities where our employees live and work. And our employees will be getting involved by donating their time to help distribute or prepare the food Dot has donated for local residents.”

The golden trailer will deliver truckloads to Feeding America regional food banks in Manteca CA, Savannah GA, Boise ID, Indianapolis IN, Baltimore MD, East Syracuse NY, Oklahoma City OK, Springfield IL, Moline IL, St Charles IL, and St Louis MO. From there, the food will be distributed to local agencies near Dot locations. Because local agencies are not equipped to accept a delivery from the Dot trailer, the company also is compensating Feeding America to make the local deliveries. Equivalent to $315,000, the food donation will include items such as canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, tuna, beans, rice, and cereal.

Dot Foods carries 92,000 products from 500 food industry manufacturers and is the largest food redistributor in the United States. Dot Foods and Dot Transportation sell and deliver foodservice, convenience, retail, vending, equipment, and supplies to distributors in all 50 states. Dot Foods operates eight distribution centers in Modesto CA, Vidalia GA, Burley ID, Mt Sterling IL, Cambridge City IN, Williamsport MD, Liverpool NY, and Ardmore OK.

For more information, visit www.dotfoods.com.