FUND MEALS FOR PEOPLE

US-based data center services provider CyrusOne, has announced a donation of $300,000 to charities for the provision of meals to people challenged with food insecurity due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The real estate investment trust (REIT) is donating $250,000 in addition to a personal donation of $50,000 from its President and CEO, Tesh Durvasula, to Member Food Bank, Feeding America, the North Texas Foodbank, and other charities in Europe.

“In this unprecedented moment, we all need to come together across the world to help people in need. Our donation, on behalf of all CyrusOne team members, helps provide food and resources at a time of intense hardship,” said Tesh Durvasula, CEO and President of CyrusOne.

“I am so proud of how passionately our CyrusOne family in the United States and Europe have responded to help our local communities in Texas and around the world.”

In its statement, CyrusOne mentioned that school closures, rising unemployment, and rising poverty due to quarantine and stay-at-home orders will disproportionately impact people already at risk of hunger and could result in an estimated additional 17.1 million people experiencing food insecurity.

Already, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that over 37 million people, 11 million of whom are children, face hunger in the United States.

“Feeding America is thankful to CyrusOne for its commitment to helping our neighbors who may not know where they will find their next meal. Their generous donation will help people hardest hit by this pandemic,” said Lauren Biedron, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships at Feeding America.

Few weeks ago, CyrusOne launched its first net-positive water data center on a 57-acre colocation campus in Chandler, Arizona. Through a partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Change the Course program, the REIT promises restoration to nearby watersheds with the Chandler campus water facility.