A Food Bank For New York City driver makes a delivery on April 14
Convoy, a digital freight service that helps shippers get thousands of loads onto trucks every day, says it will cover the cost of hauling food to local pantries and food banks donated by U.S. businesses during the COVID-19 crisis to help reduce a growing shortage for some Americans.
The Seattle-based company said it’s working with brands including Land O’Lakes on the project to help to ensure donated food gets to food banks across the U.S. The sharp and sudden economic crisis created by the coronavirus shutdown has left millions unemployed and is straining supplies at food pantries. At least 54 million Americans are currently food insecure, Convoy said, citing data from Feeding America, an organization that works with 200 food banks and 60,000 U.S. soup kitchens and pantries.
“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 Convoy cofounder and CEO Dan Lewis said. “We can immediately source high-quality drivers to move food donations to the communities where they’re needed most.”
In normal times, U.S. supermarkets are a major source of food donations but during the current crisis panic-buying at grocery stores has brought a big drop in unsold merchandise that may have otherwise been donated. Feeding America estimates it will cost about $1.4 billion to offset plunging donations from grocery stores and the volunteer labor they provide, according to Convoy.
Shippers wanting to help can contact Convoy to donate full truckloads of food that will go to food banks or soup kitchens within 40 miles or less of their facility. Convoy then books and pays a truck driver to deliver the donation. Land O’Lakes will initially donate more than 1,300 cases of macaroni and cheese to South Michigan Food Bank in Battle Creek.
“In this unprecedented time of crisis finding innovative ways to immediately help our communities feels more important than ever,” said Alex Brewin, a transportation procurement executive for Land O’Lakes.
Convoy customers wanting to make donations can contact the account manager they work with to arrange shipments of donated food. Companies that Convoy doesn’t’ currently work with can arrange shipments by emailing sustainability@convoy.com.
Convoy, founded in 2015, counts Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management as investors and has raised nearly $700 million to expand operations. It arranges tens of thousands of loads per week, booked using the company’s app that matches shippers and truck operators. Cofounder Lewis is a former Amazon executive with an extensive background in logistics.
