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SALT LAKE CITY — Moving can be a huge headache, especially during a pandemic. But residents of one Salt Lake apartment community partnered with a national nonprofit to help turn a stressful time into an opportunity to serve those in need.
4th West Apartments at 255 N. 400 West was recently named Move for Hunger's "Community of the Month" for their efforts to donate hundreds of pounds of food to the Utah Food Bank.
The Move for Hunger program was born back in 2009 when New Jersey mover Adam Lowy noticed how many perfectly good items were being wasted and left behind in moves. One category in particular really stood out to him.
"What bothered us was the perfectly good, nonperishable food that was getting left behind in the pantry, or simply thrown in the trash," Lowy told TODAY.
So Lowy decided to do something about it. He began asking his customers if they'd like to donate their unwanted nonperishables and offered to load them up and take them to local food banks himself. In the years since, Move for Hunger has partnered with more than 1,000 moving companies across North America in an effort to reduce waste and feed the hungry.
"Essentially, we're bringing a food drive into people's living rooms every day," Lowy told TODAY.
Here's how it works: Donors can go to the Move for Hunger website to find affiliated movers in their area. From there, they'll receive a box for food items. After it's packed up, the movers deliver the donation to a food bank.
According to the Move for Hunger website, more than 33 million Americans move each year. "If we recovered just 1 pound of food from each of them, we'd be able to provide 27.5 million meals to families struggling with food insecurity," the website says.
Enter 4th West Apartments. The community first became involved with Move for Hunger back in August of 2019, when residents began donating nonperishables in preparation for a move.
"By the end of 2019, we amassed 630 pounds of food totaling 525 meals," marketing manager Anna Jones told KSL.com.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, food insecurity in Utah continued to climb. The Utah Food Bank reports 511,000 Utahns, including 1 in 5 children, were going to bed hungry. That was up from 374,000 Utahns in 2019.
With the holidays approaching last year, Jones said residents of 4th West rallied once again to help. "We started by sharing our Move for Hunger community goal of 600 pounds of food with our residents on our TVs located throughout our community," she said.
The team also created a game that helped advertise specific types of foods and donations needed. The efforts paid off: In the last three months of 2020, the community collected 432 pounds of food for the Utah Food Bank.
"We came together as a community and team, and we are all so proud of the contribution made from the 4th West community," Jones said.
4th West partnered with Mountain States Moving & Storage to load up the donations for delivery. Mountain States is one of three Salt Lake-area movers involved with Move for Hunger.
Thanks to the success of the donation drive, the nonprofit highlighted 4th West on its blog as its "Community of the Month" for February 2021.
Jones said the residents and team at 4th West are passionate about the Move for Hunger program, and another giving event is already in the works.
"We know it truly impacts the local community and allows for a sustainable way to reduce food waste and fight hunger," she said.
