We are so excited to announce the winners of our first annual Community of the Year awards. These members of our Multi-Family Apartment Program were chosen based on the percentage of residents who donated food when they moved, the number of food drives the property organized, and the total amount of food they collected in 2019.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
People throw away a lot of things when they move, including perfectly good food! Move For Hunger is now partnering with more than 1,400 multi-family apartment communities from all over the country to make sure this food does not go to waste.
How does it work? It's simple! When a resident gives notice that they will be moving out, the property managers provide them with a program letter and a food collection bag. The residents are encouraged to donate any non-perishable food items that they will not be taking with them. Once a property has collected a few bags, they contact us, and we connect them with a local transportation partner who will pick up the donations and deliver them to a local food bank.
THE WINNERS
Windsor Village at Waltham, a Windsor Communities property, collected 1,300 lbs. of food between generous resident donations throughout the year and through two successful food drives. In April, Windsor Village organized an Earth Day Food Drive, in which they asked residents to donate green, non-perishable items, such as canned peas, green beans, etc. As an added incentive, anyone who made a donation received a chance to win a gift card! Windsor Village also organized a Thanksgiving Food Drive in November to help provide holiday meals for their neighbors in need. All of their efforts provided nearly 1,100 meals to people who are facing food insecurity in Massachusetts.
California Apartment Association - Oak Brook Apartments
Oak Brook Apartments, an FPI Management property in Rancho Cordova, collected nearly 700 lbs. food in 2019. In addition to collecting donations from their donations from residents, the staff at Oak Brook also organized a food drive in September to celebrate Hunger Action Month. Taken together, Oak Brook Apartments provided more than 550 meals to their neighbors in need last year!
Washington Multi-family Housing Association - The Century
The Century in Seattle, WA is one of 8 participating Pillar Properties communities in Washington. The Century held 3 food drives in 2019, first, a Spread the Love Food Drive which brought in more than 350 lbs. of peanut butter & jelly. This was followed by their massively successful Shark Week Food Drive, where they collected 600 lbs. of tuna and other non-perishable food. Most recently, The Century held a Thanksgiving Food Drive, where they collected over 50 lbs. of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other holiday staples. The award was presented at WMFHA's annual conference in January. Thanks to the successful food drives and residents’ donations, The Century collected 1,295 lbs. of food in 2019, providing more than 1,000 meals to food insecure families in Seattle.
Learn more about our Multi-Family Apartment Community Program
