In 2019, Move for Hunger celebrated their 10th anniversary. And what a way to celebrate! They beat their own annual record and so provided over 3 million meals (3.6 million pounds of food) to families who are struggling with hunger! Move for Hunger motivates and coordinates companies throughout the US and Canada to host food drives and fundraising events, thus helping the more vulnerable members of our community.
So, how did we do?
We’ve just had our figures back from the local food banks we delivered to and are thrilled to confirm that we collected 17,483 lbs of food! We feel very proud to be able to contribute towards this amazing initiative, as part of a network of movers which spans the US and Canada.
This from Move for Hunger:
“Move for Hunger is a national non-profit organization that has created a sustainable way to reduce food waste and fight hunger. We have mobilized the leaders of the moving, relocation, and multi-family industries to provide their customers, clients, and residents with the opportunity to donate their food when they move. Members of Move for Hunger also organize community food drives, participate in awareness campaigns, and create employee engagement programs.
Move for Hunger was founded at the height of the Great Recession. Back in 2009, 14.7% of households in the United States were food insecure, which was an increase of more than 30% from 2007. Household food insecurity peaked in 2011 at 14.9% and has continued to decline ever since. In 2018, the household food insecurity rate finally returned to its pre-Recession level of 11.1%.
While that progress should be celebrated, we should not assume that we are winning the war against hunger. The rate of household food insecurity was 11.9% in 1995, which means that, despite increased distribution, better data on where and why hunger exists, and a new commitment to prevent food waste, not much has actually changed over the past 25 years.
If wages for the average worker remain stagnant, if the cost of housing continues to outpace incomes, if Americans are forced to take on more and more debt to pay medical bills or finance their education, then we will see the rate of food insecurity rise again when the next economic downturn arrives. And, this time, millions of people may not have important safety net programs, like SNAP, to help them weather the storm.”
How can you help?
If you want to help Move for Hunger provide 3.75 million meals in 2020, please consider making a donation, which will help support their hunger relief and food rescue programs. A gift of $25 will provide them with the resources they need to organize their next food drive, a $100 donation will provide 250 meals this year, and if you become a monthly donor, you can help their network rescue food year-round.
We’d like to give a shout-out to our awesome crews who do the heavy lifting and take pride in delivering this precious cargo to the food banks. Speaking of which, here are some photos of our Calgary team in action.
If you’d like to donate unwanted food, whilst we organize your move, get in touch with your local branch of Tippet-Richardson today! Let’s all work together, so we can end hunger!
