Whole Foods to donate 182M meals over 10 years
Part of Hunger Action Month, Whole Foods Market is committing to donate more than 182 million meals to families in need. The food redistribution program begins this month and the meals will be distributed to communities over the next 10 years.
The Whole Foods’ Nourishing our Neighborhoods program is donating money to purchase 19 refrigerated vans, and donating two refrigerated catering vans, to community-based food rescue and redistribution programs to transport both perishable and nonperishable food to communities within 18 markets across the United States and Canada.
The vans will provide recipient organizations with 20,000 pounds of rescued food per week per vehicle, donated from Whole Foods Market and surrounding grocers and retailers, which equates to 182 million meals provided over the anticipated 10-year lifetime use of each van.
“Nourishing our communities is a priority at Whole Foods Market, especially in these challenging times,” said Rob Twyman, executive vice president of operations at Whole Foods Market. “We’re proud to put forth a food redistribution solution to reduce food waste and provide both perishable and nonperishable nourishing foods to our communities.”
The Nourishing our Neighborhoods program will work alongside ongoing efforts by Whole Foods Market to support food access and food recovery.
Whole Foods Market donates millions of pounds of perishable and nonperishable food to local food banks and food rescue organizations annually; individual stores also participate in a variety of local food waste diversion programs.
Whole Foods Market suppliers RightRice, Justin’s and Severino Pasta Company have made donations to help fill the vans upon initial distribution. Whole Foods Market will fill the remaining space in vans.