KEENE, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. announced today that it has been recognized for its employee adoption benefits by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. C&S was ranked 39^th overall and 5^th within its industry on the organization’s 2014 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces List.

C&S offers its employees two weeks of paid leave per adopted child and reimbursement of up to $10,000 for eligible adoption fees. In July 2014, Ed Arsenault, C&S Customer Service Manager, and his partner, Al Shepherd, benefited from C&S’s adoption assistance in their adoption of 3-year-old Roman. Arsenault and Shepherd have been foster parents to more than 20 children during the past four years and are now in the process of adopting another child, 7-year-old Alex. “Foster care and adoption are very emotional, involved processes, but there is such a great need,” said Arsenault. “We are very thankful for the support C&S has provided to us.”

Since 2008, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has compiled an annual list of the 100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces to honor employers who offer the best adoption benefits in the U.S. The rankings, compiled from an annual survey of U.S. employers, are determined by an analysis of each company’s adoption benefits, including the maximum financial reimbursement and the amount of paid leave provided for employees who adopt.

“We are incredibly excited and grateful to see a growing number of employers across the country provide adoption benefits for employees,” said Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. “Adoption, and in particular adoption from foster care, is an important and increasingly common path to parenthood; we commend all of the employers across the country who recognize the importance of providing benefits to employees looking to expand their families through adoption.”

The eighth annual Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list also helps increase foster care adoption awareness while celebrating businesses that support adoptive families. There are more than 100,000 children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted. Every year, more than 20,000 children in foster care turn 18 and age out of the system without families.

To view the full list, visit adoptionfriendlyworkplace.org.

ABOUT C&S WHOLESALE GROCERS, INC.C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc., based in Keene, NH, is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S., and the industry leader in supply chain innovation. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying 6,000 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 150,000 different products.

ABOUT THE DAVE THOMAS FOUNDATION FOR ADOPTION:The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 134,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s^® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. To learn more, visit davethomasfoundation.org, call 1-800-ASK-DTFA, or follow the organization onFacebook and Twitter.