Whole Foods Market Celebrates 50th Van Donation to Support Food Rescue in Local Communities

In a continued commitment to nourishing communities and combating food insecurity, Whole Foods Market proudly announces its 50th donation of a refrigerated van to support local nonprofit organizations as part of the Nourishing Our Neighborhood program. Launched in 2020, this initiative aims to expand the capacity and capability of community-based food rescue organizations across the U.S. and Canada to move food from where it’s available to where it’s needed most. Each van can rescue 20,000 pounds of food weekly, diverting 1,040,000 pounds of food per year from landfills and providing over 8.5 million meals over its 10-year life cycle.

“This van donation marks a significant step in Whole Foods Market’s commitment to nourishing local communities,” said Kera Glass, Team Leader for Community Giving and Engagement at Whole Foods Market. “Through these van donations, we’re not only ensuring more food reaches those in need but also making a lasting impact in reducing waste and fostering community well-being across 44 cities.”

In addition to donating refrigerated vans, the Nourishing Our Neighborhood program facilitates Mobile Pantry events in communities Whole Foods Market serves. These free events are farmers market-style and held in collaboration with nonprofit food-rescue organizations participating in Whole Foods Market’s Grocery Rescue Program. Each event provides pantry staples and fresh produce for over 700 families facing food insecurity. Whole Foods Market plans to hold an additional six Mobile Pantry events in October 2024. Each of the participating organizations will receive a refrigerated van in early 2025. Whole Foods Market also maintains a robust food donation program at its stores. In 2023 alone, Whole Foods Market donated 28 million meals to nearly 1,000 food rescue and redistribution programs across the country.

Whole Foods Market plans to continue expanding the program with the introduction of Ford E-Transit electric refrigerated vehicles to the fleet later this year. These all-electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions*, meaning they can have significant emissions benefits over conventional vehicles. As with the previous vans, these electric vans are also refrigerated, so recipient nonprofits can pick up perishable and non-perishable items, resulting in even more rescued food. Each vehicle will come with a Level 2 charging station, with the first electric vehicles scheduled to arrive in select markets this fall.

This milestone 50^th van donation was made to the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, a community-based nonprofit with over 25 years of service, that has distributed millions of meals to individuals and families in need throughout Greater Cleveland. In 2023, Hunger Network was one of the recipients of the Mobile Pantry Partner initiative.

Julie M. Johnson, CEO of the Hunger Network stated, “We are honored and thrilled to be the first food relief and recovery organization in the State of Ohio to receive a Nourishing Our Neighborhoods van in partnership with Whole Foods Market. Since 2018, Hunger Network Food Rescue has recovered over 5.5 million pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to waste. Instead, we’ve diverted it from landfills by our Food Rescue Heroes transporting it directly into our neighborhoods to feed our neighbors. This new refrigerated van will enhance our ability to fight food and nutrition insecurity in Greater Cleveland by allowing us to rescue greater quantities of highly perishable, culturally appropriate, fresh foods and deliver them in our city where our neighbors need them most.”

Other recent van recipients include Minnie’s Food Pantry, Northern Virginia Food Rescue, FoodCycle LA, and Good Neighbors. For more information about Whole Foods Market’s Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program, visit: https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/community-giving/nourishing-our-neighborhoods/.

About Whole Foods Market

Founded in 1980, Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the world’s leading natural and organic foods retailer and the first certified organic national grocer in the United States. Part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 530 stores across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. To learn more about Whole Foods Market, please visit https://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/.

*Based on EPA tailpipe rating. Visit www.fueleconomy.gov for more information.