Rosina Food Products donates 14,400 pounds of meatballs to FeedMore WNY

Brand marks National Meatball Day by providing 100,800 meals to families across Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus & Chautauqua counties, while continuing major hiring push with 100+ open roles to support plant expansion

Rosina Food Products press release & photo

Rosina Food Products, the authentic Italian family business behind America's No. 1 frozen meatballs and frozen pasta products, celebrated National Meatball Day the way it knows best: By feeding people and investing in the community it has called home for 63 years. 

On Monday, the West Seneca-based company continued its longstanding support of FeedMore WNY by delivering 900 cases of frozen meatballs – 14,400 pounds, or 552,000 individual meatballs across chicken, homestyle and Italian-style varieties – to the region’s largest hunger-relief organization. The donation marked the largest single-day food contribution in Rosina’s history, and will help provide approximately 100,800 hot, hearty meals for Western New York families. 

The entire donation consists of frozen protein – one of the most in-demand and hardest-to-source items for food banks. FeedMore WNY rarely receives large-scale frozen protein donations and typically must purchase meat products to meet community need – a significant and costly budget item. Rosina’s contribution directly fills that gap, helping ensure families have access to nutritious, high-quality protein without diverting charitable dollars away from other critical services. 

“FeedMore WNY is incredibly grateful for this generous donation from Rosina Food Products to help nourish our neighbors experiencing food insecurity,” said Tara A. Ellis, president and CEO of FeedMore WNY. “Protein is a critical component of a healthy diet and the heart of a complete meal, yet oftentimes it can be hard or costly for hunger-relief organizations to obtain. Thanks to our partners at Rosina, we will be able to provide nutrient-rich, delicious meatballs to our network of food pantries and hunger-relief agencies across Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. We also are thrilled to be able to incorporate these hearty meatballs in meals for the older adults and homebound neighbors who participate in our home-delivered meals program.”

Rosina has been family-owned for three generations. Giving back to the region isn't a corporate gesture – it's how their family was raised. 

"My parents built this business on the belief that, if Buffalo takes care of you, you take care of Buffalo, and that value has carried through every generation of our company," said Russell Corigliano Sr., president, CEO and co-owner of Rosina Food Products. “National Meatball Day is the perfect time to celebrate what we love most: great food and great people. As we prepare to bring our expanded meatball plant online this spring, we wanted to mark the moment with something meaningful. We’re proud not only to make great food families love, but also to invest in the community that has supported us for so long.” 

Expansion fuels Buffalo job growth

The donation comes as Rosina prepares to bring a significantly expanded Buffalo production facility online this spring to meet growing demand for its frozen meatball products. Last October, the company announced plans to double production and add 150 jobs tied to the expansion. After filling 60 machine operator positions in the first phase, Rosina is now in the second phase of that same hiring effort – actively seeking candidates for more than 100 remaining open roles across production, maintenance, quality assurance, warehouse operations, security and administrative support. Candidates can apply at rosina.com/careers.

Partnership that goes beyond the plate

In 2020, FeedMore launched “Readying Individuals for Success and Employment” (RISE), a workforce training program that prepares participants for careers in warehousing, logistics, culinary arts and food manufacturing, while also building essential life skills such as budgeting and financial stability. 

Matthew Padilla completed the program in September and now works as a warehouse supervisor at Rosina's meatball production plant. It’s a full-circle moment for both organizations. 

"RISE helped me see new possibilities for myself," Padilla said. "It means a lot to see Rosina supporting the same program that helped me get here." 

Learn more at www.rosina.com.