Ever notice that when people move, they tend to throw a lot away, including perfectly good food?
Adam Lowy did. So instead of letting that food go to waste, he decided to create an organization that would deliver it to families in need. That’s how Move for Hunger came to be.
According to figures on the group’s website, hunger is an epidemic that’s much closer to home than people realize. Fifty million Americans, including 17 million American children, struggle with finding their next meal. Meanwhile, 40% of food in the U.S. never gets eaten, according to a report from the National Resources Defense Council released last year. Reducing this enormous food loss by just 15% would be enough to feed more than 25 million Americans annually, the report projects.
Move for Hunger grew out of Lowy’s family-owned moving company, started by his great-grandfather some 90 years ago. Instead of just moving boxes and furniture, Lowy saw an opportunity to transport food donations that would otherwise get lost in the hustle and bustle of relocating.
“It was just us getting sick and tired of seeing waste,” said Lowy on MSNBC Friday. “It started off as just a simple idea: Let’s just ask people if they want to donate their food. Our moving company was in the home anyway; seemed like it made sense.”
After collecting 300 pounds of food in just one month, Lowy realized there was a lot more they could do. Now the group has collected more than two million pounds of food with the help of over 500 moving companies and 1,500 real estate professionals.
“I think now is the opportunity for all of us to really stand up and make our own way,” said Lowy. “And if we can do that in a way that helps people as well, I think it’s a win for everybody. It’s creating value and it’s feeding people.”
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