Cigna Breaks Ground on a Garden to Feed Hungry Neighbors

• All vegetables grown will go to Foodshare, the regional food bank serving greater Hartford
• Employee volunteers will plant, tend and harvest the garden

BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cigna has broken ground on a vegetable garden to grow healthy food for people in need. The yield from the 20x40 foot plot on the campus of the company’s headquarters will be donated to Foodshare.

Cigna employees (L to R) Pamela Chance, Steve Araujo, Amanda Kenyon, Jill Holliday and Mark Morgillo plant a vegetable garden to grow produce to donate to Foodshare, a food supplier for more than 300 food banks and soup kitchens. (Photo: Cigna)

Cigna is the first private company in the area to build its own garden specifically to grow produce to donate to Foodshare.

“The Cigna garden is another example of how Cigna employees care deeply for their communities and for people who may not be able to eat healthy foods,” said Maggie FitzPatrick, chief communications officer for Cigna. “Everything we do focuses on helping people improve their health and well-being, and the garden serves that purpose. Plus, our own employees will benefit by the physicality of gardening and the fresh air that comes with it.”

“Foodshare benefits each season from overflow produce donated by local farms, but no corporation has gone as far as Cigna,” said Gloria J. McAdam, President and CEO of Foodshare. “This effort, by Cigna, helps to ensure that our hungry neighbors will continue to have access to the fresh vegetables they need to maintain a healthy diet.”

Cigna met with Foodshare to determine what to plant in the garden. At their suggestion the company’s employees have planted collard greens, bush green beans, spinach, cabbage, red and green peppers, and more. Chief gardener and Cigna employee Mark Morgillo has planned crops that will feed many and yield vegetables through the fall.

About CIGNA

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has approximately 70 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

About Foodshare

Foodshare is the heart of greater Hartford’s fight against hunger, bringing together individuals and organizations to create effective solutions to end hunger in all 42 towns of Hartford and Tolland counties. Serving as our region’s food bank, we distribute 16 tons of food each day to a network of 300 local partners that feed our hungry neighbors. This vital safety net helps more than 128,000 people in our region who are at risk including seniors, the working poor, and 50,000 children. But ending hunger requires more than just distribution of food. Reducing the number of people in need by increasing their self-sufficiency helps to address the chronic underlying reasons why people are hungry. And Engaging members of the greater community to increase understanding of these real causes and solutions to hunger is crucial.

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Cigna CorporationJudy Hartling, 860-226-6272
[email protected]

Source: Cigna Corporation