Help Us Fight Hunger Across America

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day. While I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect and spend time with my family and friends, I was anxious to get back to the office on Tuesday. Hunger, as we know, doesn't take a vacation. In fact, food banks face their greatest need during the summer months when children are on vacation and are no longer receiving reduced-cost or free lunch at school. The Move For Hunger program provides vital support to food banks year-round, which is especially important during the summertime.

With so much work yet to be done in our fight to end hunger, it can be easy to lose sight of what we've already accomplished. Just this past month, we've added over a dozen new partners to our ever-expanding network. Current members, such as our friends at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Zach Shore Realtors, hosted food drives that made a tangible impact in their communities. And last week, we welcomed over 20 new interns who will support our mission throughout the summer.

On top of all that, we received a $25,000 grant from the Mutual of America Foundation. We were presented the award at the Community Partnership Award Luncheon the foundation hosted to acknowledge the contributions of those individuals who have helped make Move For Hunger what it is today. Seeing so many of the allies we have made over the past seven years together under one roof served as a welcome reminder of just what is possible when a group of people are committed to a common cause.

To date, our network has collected over 6.5 million pounds of food - that's the equivalent of over 5 million meals on the plates of hungry people across the United States and Canada. We're going to work tirelessly to make sure reach that next million by the end of the year, but we need your help. So please, host a food drive, make a donation, join our race team - whatever you can contribute makes a difference. I've seen where we've been and know how much further there is to go. As overwhelming as it may seem at times, we CAN end hunger...but only by working together.

YOU can help us make a difference and reduce hunger this summer: If you've never held a food drive, let us show you how easy and fulfilling it can be! Our Events Coordinator, Abbey will guide you through the process. We have already collected nearly 700,000 pounds of food this year (that;s nearly 600,000 meals!). Help us reach our goal of 2,000,000 pounds by the end of the year!

One of the many ways that Move For Hunger tackles hunger is through awareness. For example, our team attends as many conferences as possible to share our experiences fighting hunger with movers, realtors, and other relocation professionals, in the hopes of inspiring them to join us in the fight. Most recently, we had the opportunity to attend the annual Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) Conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Corporate housing providers work with us to rescue unwanted food from their clients - business men and women who spend a few weeks or more in temporary residence. The residents often purchase more food than they can eat before they move out and by teaming up with Move For Hunger, the corporate housing providers can make sure this food finds its way to the food bank, rather than the trash. To date, we have already rescued nearly 3,000 meals together! 

The conference this past month kicked off with a volunteer activity for CHPA members at the Tarrant Area Food Bank where we were put to work bagging and sorting through over 14,000 pounds of potatoes. Members got down and dirty with the spuds, making 10 pounds bags to be available for those in need in the Fort Worth area. As an added bonus, one of our most supportive partners, Firefighting’s Finest Moving and Storage joined the group with their Move For Hunger wrapped truck.

With CHPA’s support, Move For Hunger was able to promote the program and enroll new members at the three day conference. In addition to having a table at the event, our own Adam Lowy gave a speech on Move For Hunger, encouraging providers to sign up. A special thanks to CHPA for allowing us the opportunity to educate their members on how they can fight food waste and hunger in their industry.

Move For Hunger was also lucky to present our first ever Corporate Housing Provider of the Year Award to AVE by Korman Communities. With 6 locations in New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia area enrolled in the program, AVE has gone above and beyond in their fight against hunger and food waste. By participating in events such as our 2nd annual Truck Pull, joining Team Move For Hunger at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia 1/2 Marathon, and planning their own resident parties, AVE is dedicated to the cause.  Since they’ve joined the program, AVE has helped to collect and deliver over 1,900 pounds of food! Thank you AVE for your support, we look forward to an even better 2016!

Want to see more? Check out the photos here!

Links:

• https://moveforhunger.org/spuds-spurs-and-stars-at-chpa/