Convoy, the most efficient Digital Freight Network, today announced that the company will pay the trucking costs for any business in the U.S. wanting to donate a truckload of product to their local food bank. In an effort to address the growing food shortages facing millions of Americans impacted by COVID-19, companies like Land O’Lakes Inc. are partnering with Convoy to donate critical items to food banks across the nation. All businesses are eligible to participate in the program.
With millions suddenly unemployed, food banks across the U.S. are experiencing unprecedented demand amid a shortage of supplies. According to Feeding America, more than 54 million Americans are now food insecure. Traditionally, grocery stores have been a major donation source, regularly contributing excess inventory. However, those stores are grappling with panic-buying and empty shelves, shifting their focus to restocking and adequately sanitizing grocery surfaces, instead of organizing donations to local food banks. Feeding America estimates that the cost of buying food to offset this drop in donations, and the decline in its volunteer labor force, is about $1.4 billion.
Convoy’s new sustainability program taps into Feeding America’s network of 200 centralized food banks and 60,000 localized soup kitchens and pantries. Participating shippers reach out to Convoy with a full truckload donation and are matched with a food bank or soup kitchen, usually within 40 miles or less of their facility. Convoy’s Digital Freight Network then finds, books, and pays a truck driver to deliver the goods to that local food bank. In addition to helping shippers support their local communities, this program also provides truck drivers with work to deliver the much-needed donations.
Land O’Lakes Inc., one of the first shippers to participate in the program, plans to initially donate more than 1,300 cases of macaroni and cheese to South Michigan Food Bank in Battle Creek, MI.
“In this unprecedented time of crisis, finding innovative ways to immediately help our communities feels more important than ever,” said Alex Brewin, Transportation Procurement, Land O’Lakes Inc. “We are pleased to join forces with Convoy to share what resources we have with the people who benefit the greatest. We hope others in a similar position are able to take advantage of this opportunity to make a positive difference.”
“The COVID-19 outbreak is making it difficult for food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens to fulfill their missions at a time when they’re needed the most,” said Dan Lewis, Convoy co-founder and CEO. “With our Digital Freight Network, we can immediately source high-quality drivers to move food donations to the communities where they’re needed most.”
According to Feeding America, food banks seek the following items for shelf-stable food boxes:
- Canned protein (chicken, tuna, etc.)
- Canned vegetables (green beans, corn, mixed vegetables, etc.)
- Canned fruit (peaches, pears, etc./ideally in water or juice)
- Canned soup (chicken noodle, vegetable, tomato, etc.)
- Canned beef stew (chili w/meat, etc.)
- Canned pasta (spaghetti rings, ravioli, etc.)
- Peanut butter
- Squeeze jam or jelly
- Macaroni and cheese
- Quick oats
- Spaghetti sauce
- Snack bars
- Cereal
- Juice (apple, berry, etc.)
Current Convoy customers can contact their account manager to tender donation shipments. Shippers currently not working with Convoy can email sustainability@convoy.com to coordinate truckload pickups for donation.
SUSTAINABILITY AT CONVOY
Sustainability at Convoy means driving positive environmental and societal impact to be a great corporate citizen. Convoy is focused on reducing the billions of dollars of waste in trucking and supporting the communities where we live and work. Visit www.convoy.com/sustainability to learn about Convoy’s commitment to Sustainability.
About Convoy
Convoy is the most efficient Digital Freight Network. We connect shippers to carriers to move millions of truckloads, saving money for shippers, reducing hassle for carriers, and eliminating carbon waste for our planet. We use technology and data to solve problems of waste and inefficiency in the $800B trucking industry, which generates over 76M metric tons of wasted CO2 emissions from empty trucks. Shippers like Anheuser-Busch, CHEP, and Waiākea trust Convoy to lower costs, increase logistics efficiency, and achieve environmental sustainability targets. For more information, visit www.convoy.com.
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