Let’s start with a little food for thought.
Digest this:
And yet, 35% of the food produced in the US every year is wasted.
With over 40 million people in the US and roughly 30% of the global population struggling against food insecurity, this is undeniably a global crisis that can no longer be silenced. That’s why we’re pleased to partner with Move For Hunger, a non-profit organization working to change the outcome of our hungry populations, providing meals to families, children, and seniors within these vulnerable communities. By mobilizing the relocation industry to reduce food waste, the organization’s mission is to reduce the need for emergency assistance that food banks provide.
Having grown up in the moving service industry, Adam Lowy saw first-hand the sheer volume of stuff left behind after each move. This included unopened, non-perishable food, often left at the curb, destined for the landfill. This bothered Adam enough to take action, so in 2009, Adam and his family approached customers to see if they would like to donate their leftover food to the local food bank. After only a month, Adam had collected over 300 pounds of food.
“If one company could make this kind of impact, what could an entire network of moving companies do?”
The movement that started with a family-run moving company in New Jersey is gaining formidable momentum, with partners across all 50 states and Canada embracing the Move For Hunger model.
While food banks are a critical source of food to many food-insecure populations, a major hurdle faced by these facilities is funding (and arranging) the transportation of food. Move For Hunger’s unique partnerships help to bridge this gap, providing access to trucks and drivers nationwide to divert food waste while helping to feed their communities.
Rather ironically, while millions across the country struggle to access the food they need, we’re also battling a food waste epidemic. The US wastes more food than any other country in the world, and according to the EPA, food waste takes up more space than anything else in our landfills. This waste adds to our daily land, water, and air pollution and has been linked to climate change.
Each year, roughly 33 million Americans will move. By eliminating food waste from the relocation process – offering the opportunity for people to donate their leftover food – we’re keeping it out of the landfill, making it accessible to hungry populations.
Last year, Move For Hunger’s network delivered almost 5.5 million pounds of food, feeding more than 4.5 million people!
We’re #WeichertProud to support Move For Hunger’s mission, which touches two of our pledges as an organization; our commitment to pursuing sustainable, environmentally friendly alternatives and supporting meaningful causes in communities around the world. Food is a fundamental human right, and we are honored to make an active difference in the fight for less waste and more mouths fed.
Through the month of June, Weichert Workforce Mobility is proud to sponsoring the Move 2 Fight Hunger Challenge. From June 1 –30, our colleagues, partners, families and friends are lacing up our freshest kicks and converting our activities into meals. Last year’s co-sponsored event with Nelson Westerberg was a thunderous success, with over 110 team members across 16 Weichert teams contributing to a total of 92,045 meals earned through our collective efforts (blasting far beyond our initial goal of 75,000 meals). But this year, we’re shooting for the stars. We’re stretched, limber, and highly motivated to help to reach the goal of providing a whopping 165,000 meals through our collective efforts.
“We are sharing one planet where enough food is produced to feed 1.5 times the world’s total population. And yet every day, millions go hungry. These facts are indicative of a solvable problem. Weichert Workforce Mobility’s partnership with Move For Hunger is all about working toward a solution to the unacceptable problem of hunger and clearly demonstrates Weichert’s commitments to ESG and supporting our broader communities. We are determined to engage our biggest-ever team for the 2023 Move 2 Fight Hunger Challenge to make a lasting impact during a time when even more families are struggling to afford to feed their families.”William Vogt
Care to join us as we run, walk, dance, and cartwheel our way through June? Register here to join Weichert Workforce Mobility in the Move 2 Fight Hunger Challenge learn more about Move For Hunger here.