Marketplace Chaplains, America’s largest, original and leading workplace chaplaincy organization, has greatly expanded its unique business services in a number of areas, but none more than the fast-growing field of food service processors. According to the IBISWorld report in 2016, the Grocery Wholesaling Industry is currently a $191 billion dollar business with employees totaling 142,354 and 4,821 different businesses.1 With long hours, manual labor, large, often too hot or overly cold warehouses, those who are employed in the grocery distribution environment endure plenty of stress and demanding conditions. That is why several large U.S. companies, including Gordon Food Service, McLane Company, Costa Solutions and KeHE Distributors, all use Marketplace Chaplains’ caring and trained chaplains to extend care, encouragement and a listening ear to their employees and family members. Oftentimes company owners and Human Resources staff desire to provide more personal care to employees but their hands are too full. “Our Human Resources Managers are challenged with increasing regulatory issues, staffing challenges, retention, compensation, benefits, and overall execution of business strategies that affect our people. Included in these responsibilities are supporting our cultural initiatives and fostering an open door environment where our Teammates feel free to come to us with any issue they want to discuss,” said Terry Cameron, a longtime HR director for McLane in Dallas. “These managers are professionals at what they do, but they cannot reach our Teammates in the same manner that our chaplains do. It is impossible.” KeHE Distributors, founded in 1953 outside of Chicago and converted from family-owned to employee owned in 2001, now has 4,500 employee-owners in 17 distribution centers across the U.S. and Canada. But company leadership says having a Chaplain Care Team from Marketplace Chaplains has been vital to upholding the culture of the company. “We’re natural. We’re authentic. We’re faith-friendly. And we’re passionate about good, wholesome foods produced in sustainable ways and distributed rapidly and efficiently to a hungry world,” the company mission statement reads and KeHE Vice President Rusty Bland said having Marketplace Chaplains has been a large part of fulfilling the mission statement to his growing company. “Marketplace Chaplains reach people that a traditional EAP would never reach,” said Costa’s Chief Operating Officer Donna Lazzari. Costa Solutions in San Antonio serves Texas and the Southwest with strong company values which include using Marketplace Chaplains for its employees in this massive distribution network. “There is much stress in our lives today with family, children, workplace, etc. Our chaplains provide a much-needed avenue for Costa team members to discuss personal issues. Our team members need a sounding board that they can count on and is confidential.” Gordon Food Services headquartered in Michigan is one of Marketplace Chaplains’ longest tenured clients in the Food Distribution Industry and the workplace chaplains have been an ongoing help to an enlarging company.  “Recently, I was visiting one of our food distribution companies when the director of HR commented, ‘…the chaplains continue where HR leaves off…,’” reports Marketplace Chaplains Executive President and CEO Doug Fagerstrom. “I am delighted when leadership notes the valuable impact of chaplains in employees’ lives, whether in our food distribution companies, fast food services or a multitude of other venues.”