ASAP Movers joined our network in August and they didn't waste any time before hosting their first food drive. The San Luis Obispo, CA-based company held a Fill-A-Truck food drive at their local Trader Joe's grocery store during the weekend before Thanksgiving.
More than 37,000 people, including 1 in 6 children, in San Luis Obispo County are food insecure - meaning they lack access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. ASAP Movers wanted to help provide holiday meals to their neighbors in need, so they stationed one of their moving trucks outside of the Trader Joe's on November 18-19 and challenged shoppers to donate enough non-perishable food to fill the entire trailer. Over the course of two days, nearly 1,000 lbs. of food was collected. That's not quite an entire truckload, but it is the equivalent of 830 meals!
"We are thrilled to have collected what we did," said Samantha Gibson of ASAP Movers.
Gibson played a huge role in making sure the food drive was a success. She got permission from the supermarket to hold the event, collected donations, and inspired her coworkers (and their families) to get involved.
"Some of our employees stopped by after doing moves for customers with their own donations," Gibson said "It was a really wonderful. We all were able to do it together and teach our children, as well."
ASAP Movers delivered all of the donations to the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County the Monday before Thanksgiving. Gibson and her team are hoping to collect even more at their holiday fill-a-truck next month.
"We learned a lot from this weekend and we’re already working towards the next one in December!"
Move For Hunger makes it easy for anyone to hold a food drive.
