Movers Can Help You Move…And Make A Difference!
Movers Can Help You Move…And Make A Difference!
As exciting as packing up and preparing to move to a new home can be, it is also a bit overwhelming. From cleaning out bedrooms and bathrooms to boxing up basements and attics, you may not have realized just how much stuff you own.
If you have gotten as far as your kitchen pantry and can’t bear to pack another box, don’t pitch those non-perishables just yet. There is a better option, and it is one that benefits those in need.
Move For Hunger, a non-profit, partners with more than 1,000 moving companies across the United States and Canada to collect non-perishable food items and deliver them to food banks all across North America.
Pretty ingenious, right? Here’s how it works: Through Move for Hunger’s website, you can find and book a professional mover who will pack up the food and haul it to a local food pantry where your donations will be sorted and delivered to those in need in the nearby area.
The idea is the brainchild of New Jersey native Adam Lowy, whose family has owned a moving company in the Garden State for nearly a century. Following years of watching so much food go to waste when helping people move, Lowy came up with a plan and then put it into action.
As we know, food insecurity is a major problem in America. In fact, in 2017 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported that 12.3 percent of American households were food insecure, meaning that 1 in 8 households in the U.S. had difficulty providing enough food for all their members at some point during the year.
Since 2009, when the company was founded, it has facilitated the donation of 14.4 million pounds of non-perishable items to food banks across the U.S. and Canada. That is welcome news as 41 million Americans, including nearly 13 million children, grapple with hunger each day.
While calls for food donations are common during the holidays, particularly at Thanksgiving, the need exists year-round, and increases throughout the summer.
Because children who face food insecurity receive the majority of their daily calories from free or reduced-price school lunches during the school year, once summer arrives, those children are forced to look elsewhere for nourishment. Though summer meal programs exist, they are often underfunded and can be difficult to access.
Because summer is the most popular time to move, Move for Hunger gives those who are relocating a great opportunity to help stock community banks’ shelves when they are at their lowest, creating a win-win for those who are moving and those in need.
If you are packing up and would prefer to restock your new pantry from scratch, here is your chance to help others and save yourself any extra heavy lifting.
For more information, visit Move for Hunger’s website.
