The Farmlink Project is a United States–based

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

that combats

food waste The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...

by collecting excess produce from farms and other food donors across America and delivering it to organizations that serve food insecure communities. Since its founding in 2020, the organization has rescued over 130 million pounds of food, distributed to over 400 communities, and grown to a network of over 600

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

nationwide. The Farmlink Project has raised over $15 million in fundraising efforts, and has partnered with organizations such as

Chipotle A chipotle ( , ), or chilpotle, is a smoke-dried ripe jalapeño chili pepper used for seasoning. It is a chili used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Tex-Mex and Southwestern United States dishes. It comes in differen ...

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinc ...

, and Uber Freight.

History

The Farmlink Project was founded in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in April 2020 by James Kanoff and Aidan Reilly, both juniors in college at the time. Additional founding team members included Ben Collier, Will Collier, Owen Dubeck, Jordan Hartzell, Max Goldman, AJ Weaver and Stella Delp. At the time, due to the onset of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the food banking system in America was experiencing extraordinary levels of demand while millions of pounds of fresh goods went to waste on farms due to factors such as supply chain disruptions and the closures of restaurants, hotels, and schools. In reaction, Kanoff and Reilly—along with dozens of other college student volunteers—began

cold calling Cold calling is the solicitation of business from potential customers who have had no prior contact with the salesperson conducting the call. It is an attempt to convince potential customers to purchase the salesperson's product or service. Gene ...

farms around the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to inquire about their surplus produce and determine methods for

food rescue Food rescue, also called food recovery, food salvage or surplus food redistribution, is the practice of gleaning edible food that would otherwise go to waste from places such as farms, produce markets, grocery stores, restaurants, or dining facil ...

and distribution. The organization's first operation consisted of renting a

U-Haul U-Haul Holding Company is an American moving truck, trailer, and self-storage rental company (law), company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen and Anna Mary Carty in Ridgef ...

truck and driving out to Trafficanda Egg Ranches to rescue a surplus of 10,800 eggs, which was delivered to Westside Food Bank in Los Angeles. The Farmlink Project has since grown to a full-time team of over 20 employees and a network of over 600 volunteers nationwide. The organization's current model consists of sourcing surplus from food donors, matching it to local nonprofit food distribution centers, and coordinating the transportation logistics to deliver the produce. The Farmlink Project focuses specifically on locating and collecting food that would otherwise go to waste due to factors such as limited

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a s ...

or not meeting industry standards for the typical market. The organization works with a turnaround time of 1-2 business days and has the capacity to rescue high quantities of produce, which saves farmers from unnecessary dump fees or having to coordinate a donation themselves.

Impact

Since its founding, The Farmlink Project has moved more than 130 million pounds of surplus food from donors to

food bank A food bank or food pantry is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger, usually through intermediaries like food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distrib ...

s and other food distribution centers. The organization estimates that it has mitigated more than 350 million pounds of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by diverting produce from landfills. It has coordinated

operations with more than 120 farms and more than 300 communities in 48 states, including the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...

Awards and recognition

The Farmlink Project and its founders have gained widespread recognition for their efforts, receiving numerous awards and honors since 2020. Co-founders Kanoff and Reilly were awarded 2021 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Citizen Honors and included in the

Forbes 30 Under 30 ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 is a set of lists published annually by ''Forbes'' magazine since 2011 consisting of 30 notable people under 30 years old in various industries. The American list consists of 600 people, with 30 selected in each of 20 sect ...

for Social Impact in 2022 list, while Kanoff, Reilly, and Ben Collier received a

Jefferson Award for Public Service The Jefferson Awards Foundation was created in 1972 by the American Institute for Public Service. The Jefferson Awards are given at both local and national levels. Local winners are ordinary people who do extraordinary things without expectatio ...

in November 2022. Kanoff was also nominated for the 2021 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award. The organization won the 2023 Goalkeepers Global Goals Award from the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

. The Farmlink Project's work has been featured in

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

ABC World News Tonight ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

, and major national television networks in the US.

References

External links

Farmlink Project websiteWestside Food Bank
*[https://www.foxnews.com/us/america-together-college-students-connect-farms-with-needy-food-banks-amid-coronavirus-pandemic America Together: College students connect farms with needy food banks amid coronavirus pandemic]
College students behind effort to save farms and get food to families in needThese Students Are Sending Thousands Of Pounds Of Food Waste To Food BanksCollege students create new way for farmers to donate to food banksNonprofit The Farmlink Project matches farmers with surplus produce with those in need - CBS News
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farmlink Project, The Food security in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles Organizations established in 2020 Hunger relief organizations