The 2020 Move For Hunger Award Winners Are...

It’s no secret that 2020 was unlike any year, well, ever. Our team, network, and the entire country faced an unprecedented crisis that had serious ramifications in almost every aspect of life including hunger. Food insecurity in the United States rose nearly 50% with 54 million people struggling to put food on the table. But when the need was at its highest, our network stepped up time and time again throughout the year. 

While there are many deserving and incredibly movers and apartment communities we partner with, two really stood out from the pack.

So without further ado, our 2020 Award Winners: 

Mover of the Year: Just-In Time Moving & Storage 

To say that we were caught, happily, off guard, would be an understatement. Just-In Time Moving & Storage out of Mesa, AZ joined Move For Hunger at the end of 2019, but they wasted very little time before making a big impact in the local community. As soon as the pandemic hit in mid-March, Just-In Time connected with United Food Bank to transport emergency supplies between their different locations. 

United Food Bank is one of two Feeding America food banks in the Phoenix metro area, and they combine to help feed the nearly 700,000 people around Phoenix who are food insecure. 

Just-In Time stepped up with bi-weekly food transports that started in March and continued through the end of the year. Each transport normally consisted of 10,000-20,000 lbs of food which is anywhere between 8,000-16,000 meals. 

In total, Just-In Time Moving & Storage transported 883,000 lbs of food (736,000 meals), and immediately shot up to number two on our leaderboard for 2020 as a first-year mover on our network! This is only the beginning of their partnership with Move For Hunger and their impact in the local community fighting the hunger crisis. The transports have continued into the new year, and we can’t wait to see how will they top it in 2021. 

Community of the Year: The Century (Pillar Properties)

We have over 1,500 properties that we partner with, but only one can be at the top of our leaderboard, and the clear winner was The Century, a Pillar property in Seattle, Washington. A member since December 2017, they have embraced Move For Hunger and supporting those in need from the very beginning by collecting food when residents moved out and hosting food drives at their property. 

2020 started out with a bang with their Mardi Gras-themed food drive where they collected over 1,000 lbs worth of red beans and rice. Since Mardi Gras normally takes place in February, this all happened pre-pandemic, but even after the world went into lockdown, The Century still found ways to donate food. 

Throughout the year, they continued to collect and donate food with four different pick-ups of around 500 pounds each. In total, they collected over 3,000 lbs worth of food which is the equivalent of 2,550 meals.  A special thank you to their transportation partners, Adoba Seattle and Hansen Bros. Moving & Storage. 

All of the food went to Northwest Harvest - Western Washington in downtown Seattle. Those meals helped take a bite out of hunger as the greater Seattle area has over half a million people considered food insecure. 

We’re so thankful for The Century and Pillar Properties for their support in fighting the hunger crisis and congratulate them on an amazing year of impact. 

Want to get involved? 

There are a lot of people that need our help. You can join our growing list of movers and apartment communities or host your own food drive. Want to make a difference right away? Make a donation!