<p><strong>Cincinnati, OH</strong><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Chiquita Brands has recently donated a prestigious grant to the Cincinnati-based nonprofit Cooperative for Education (CoEd) to show its international support. The grant in the amount of $20,000, will support the organization’s Guatemala Textbook Program, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The program brings first-ever textbooks to more than 1,000 youths in rural Guatemala. Every February and August, Cincinnati area residents and beyond have the opportunity to see the program in action and meet the youths who will benefit from the grant through service trips conducted by CoEd.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Manuel Rodriguez, Chiquita Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and Senior Vice President, Government and International Affairs, stated, “Chiquita is proud to support the Cooperative for Education and their efforts to elevate the quality of education in Guatemala.” He continued, “Giving back to the communities in which we operate is just as important as the quality of our products.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Chiquita has a strong corporate social responsibility commitment that extends beyond its banana farms and into the communities of its employees. Its efforts across Guatemala continue to be focused on natural disaster assistance, education and housing providing for flood recovery, school supplies and home ownership opportunities for Guatemalan employees.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The collective bargaining agreement signed between Chiquita and its Guatemala-based trade unions has allowed the company to further its education-based commitments by providing a scholarship program that features 55 school scholarships during the 10-month school period and school uniforms and supplies to 1,850 children of employees. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
