Food Shuttle Truck Donated by First Citizens

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle made a celebratory visit to the North Hills branch in Raleigh recently, showing off its newest vehicle,  which First Citizens donated to the organization. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle  (IFFS) is a hunger-relief organization serving seven counties in and around the Triangle of North Carolina. FCB has had a long-time relationship with the organization. The Food Shuttle’s previous food transportation vehicle was in need of much repair, so First Citizens decided to donate a brand new vehicle, which will assist the agency with its mission to feed the hungry.

On this recent Tuesday, the organization’s newest vehicle zipped across downtown and Midtown Raleigh, rescuing food that would have gone to waste from restaurants and other places like Trader Joes.  With refrigerated storage in the back, the new vehicle then transported this food to local  nonprofit organizations,  making sure it got there in time to serve people in need.

At North Hills, First Citizens associates, along with Food Shuttle  staff members and volunteers, got an up-close look at the vehicle. The side panels feature the IFFS logo that includes a large apple. On the back panel, the truck prominently displays First Citizens’ Forever First® commitment to the community. It reads, “For our community. For better lives. Forever First. First Citizens is proud to support Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.” The Bank’s Brand Marketing team coordinated the design of the Forever First message.

Chris Young, Triangle area executive, said the Bank is glad to do its part to help an organization by donating this vehicle.

“First Citizens is a long-time supporter of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and we are pleased that this vehicle is not only helping to build a healthier community but also reflects our Forever First values to the community,” said Chris Young, Triangle Area Executive for First Citizens. “We wanted to ensure our assistance did more than make a one-time impact, so we’re glad that the new shuttle will make a difference for people in the Triangle for many years to come.”

Bob Shertz, a member of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Board Emeritus, thanked First Citizens for its partnership with the organization. He said that in the vehicle’s first year of operation, the new shuttle will recover about 700,000 pounds of food. That’s about $1 million worth of wholesome, good food that would have ended up in a landfill, he calculated.

“We love it when our trucks leave in the morning and return empty,” Shertz said.

For more information on IFFS programs to end hunger, visit www.FoodShuttle.org.

MEDIA ALERT: Plant the Pavement! Urban Ag Community Workshop May 3-4

Building just and sustainable models of food production for a healthy and hunger-free community

WHAT: Plant the Pavement!  A two-day weekend workshop taught by MacArthur Genius Will Allen and other educators from Growing Power and Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. Sessions include mushroom production, year-round production of microgreens, compost/vermiculture, aquaponics, and hoop house construction. 

WHEN: May 3 & 4, 2014. Sessions run 8:30am-5:30pm both Saturday and Sunday [A workshop for students and educators at Longview School will take place on Friday, May 2.]

WHERE: Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Urban Farm at the Hoke Street Training Center, 500 Hoke St. in Southeast Raleigh. 

WHO: Open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the sustainable production of healthy food, whether on a home, business, or a community scale. No previous experience with agriculture is necessary. 

WHY:  The knowledge of how to grow food is an important step toward developing a locally-owned Community Food System that builds self-sufficiency and community power. The more we understand about growing and preparing food, the healthier we are, and the more control we have over our food sources—making healthy food accessible for all.   

INTERVIEWS & PHOTO OPS

Interviews with Will Allen are available on-site prior to workshop on Thursday May 1st, as well as during the workshop May 3rd and 4th. Contact Cindy Sink , 919-413-1470 or Cindy@FoodShuttle.org.

“A typical farmer will tell you how many acres he has. I think of productivity per square foot. We earn $5 per square foot in our hoop houses. How many farmers do you think can say that?” - Will Allen, November 10th, 2012, Raleigh, NC

“People are tired of buying and eating food made 6,000 miles away and shipped across the country. Farming is changing and a new revolution of doing more with less is on its way. Will Allen has worked very hard to figure out his way of doing things — and has created his own food ecosystem — one we can learn from, and perhaps replicate here." -Neesha Mirchandani, marketing consultant and Plant the Pavement participant.

About Inter-Faith Food Shuttle   www.FoodShuttle.org

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is a hunger-relief organization employing multiple strategies to end hunger including nutrition education, workforce development, and agricultural training. In late 2011, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and Longview School partnered to become the newest Regional Outreach Training Center (ROTC) for Growing Power, an internationally recognized urban agriculture organization started by MacArthur Genius Award winner Will Allen.  In 2012, IFFS held its first annual Plant the Pavement! workshop series. Read more about last year's event here.