In The News
Pilot Flying J partners with Food Donation Connection to provide food for the hungry
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pilot Flying J is partnering with Food Donation Connection (FDC), an organization that works to help food service companies reduce food waste and feed those in need.
Through the Harvest Program, Pilot Flying J will donate wholesome, quality, surplus food items to local nonprofits and food bank agencies to help families facing hunger.
This nationwide initiative between the two Knoxville-based companies will combat hunger in areas where Pilot Flying J is present, and aims to surpass their 2017 goal with more than 200,000 pounds of food donated in 2018, according to Will Haslam, director of giving at Pilot Flying J.
“Food Donation Connection is proud to partner with Pilot Flying J to strengthen their commitment to helping their local communities,” said Keith Crowe, project manager at Food Donation Connection. “All qualifying unserved food can now be donated to charities, local to Pilot Flying J travel centers throughout the U.S. This program will help feed those in need and will divert wholesome food from the waste stream — creating a win-win for all involved.”
Pilot Flying J team members “harvest” fresh, surplus food — such as hot PJ Fresh pizza slices, burgers and premium breakfast sandwiches — and safely prepare and freeze it for donation to local food banks and shelters across the country.
Since the Harvest Program’s inception in February 2017, Pilot Flying J has already donated more than 172,500 pounds of surplus food to more than 161 charitable agencies in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Texas.
The company currently has 88 locations participating, and plans to expand the program to between 150-200 locations by the end of 2018. More information on the program is available at blog.pilotflyingj.com.
“Pilot Flying J serves more than 1.2 million customers across North America each day, and we can serve so many more through effective food donations with the Harvest Program,” Haslam said. “We are excited to partner with FDC to safely provide meals to those in need while reducing food waste, and continuing our commitment of offering fresh food options and high-quality meals for travelers on the road.”
FDC has assisted food service companies with the development and implementation of Harvest Programs designed to provide an alternative to discarding surplus food. Since 1992, FDC has helped facilitate the safe donation of more than 500 million pounds of wholesome, prepared food to 10,000 hunger relief organizations.
To learn more about how Pilot Flying J gives back to local communities, visit pilotflyingj.com or follow Pilot Flying J on Facebook at Facebook.com/pilottravelcenters, or on Twitter at @PilotFlyingJ.