David Cotton, CEO of airline catering company Flying Food Group, recently expressed his pride in maintaining the legacy of the company’s founder through the Sue Ling Gin Foundation Trust. Every dollar of profit earned by the company is donated to the charitable trust and directed back into the community.
"We are giving sizable amounts of money to charity," said David Cotton in a recent interview with The Southland Marquee. "That is the way that you maintain the legacy of Sue. She was a remarkable entrepreneur, a remarkable individual in every sense of the word. It’s my mission to make sure we preserve this foundation in perpetuity."
Flying Food Group was founded in 1983 by Sue Ling Gin and provides food catering services to major airlines, including Air France, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Air and TAP Air Portugal. The company's headquarters are located in Chicago.
Before her passing in 2014, Gin set up a charitable trust that today receives all company profits. The Sue Ling Gin Foundation Trust was created with an aim to continue Gin’s legacy of philanthropy and community support. Its core mission includes improving people's lives and strengthening communities through targeted investments; it has a focus on healthcare, education, legal assistance and immigration rights.
The company stated that its notable charitable efforts include contributions to DePaul University, The Field Museum, Chicago Community Trust, Rush University College of Nursing, Rush University Health Clinics, Chinese American Service League, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, IFSA Foundation Scholarship Fund and Midwest Food Matters Scholarship Fund.
The foundation focuses on several key areas such as education, healthcare and human services along with preserving Chicago's history. Both Flying Food Group and the Sue Ling Gin Foundation Trust firmly believe in providing everyone access to quality education and healthcare along with opportunities for self-sufficiency.
"Sue loved Chicago," said Mark Noffke who serves as chief financial officer for both Flying Food Group and its associated foundation according to Business Daily Network "She wanted to ensure that Chicago was a place where people wanted to live. Education was paramount for Sue; she was a strong supporter of DePaul University and also Rush University."
Flying Food operates a free health clinic in Los Angeles for all its employees in the region, as confirmed by Coachella Valley Times. This clinic is managed by RUSH University Medical Center based out of Chicago and is founded on Gin’s belief that quality healthcare for everyone is essential. According to its website, the clinic provides numerous services for patients across age groups regardless of their insurance status, according to Angela Moss, the assistant dean of faculty practice and associate professor for the College of Nursing at Rush University.
Gin's collaboration with RUSH University can be traced back to 2010 when she realized that the company’s primarily production-focused workforce faced challenges in accessing healthcare facilities. Being a long-time RUSH Board of Trustees member, she suggested a partnership which eventually led to the establishment of the Healthy Living Program and Clinic at Flying Food Group’s O'Hare International Airport production kitchen.
In 2015, the foundation once again partnered with RUSH and launched the Sue Gin Health Center at Oakley Square - a free health clinic situated within a mixed-income residential complex on Chicago’s West Side. The clinic has been operated by RUSH nurse practitioners since it first opened its doors.