NEW YORK-As part of a nationwide initiative created by Feeding America, Hunger Action Month takes place during the month of September to raise awareness about food insecurity in America. In honor of Hunger Action Month, HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit company, has continued its commitment to combat hunger and provide fresh food to food insecure communities through various initiatives, including surplus food donations, expansion of its Meals With Meaning free meal-kit program, and an uptick in customer donations.
In September, HelloFresh donated approximately 500,000 pounds of food to its 20+ various charity partners throughout the country. In addition, through advocacy and awareness programs targeted for Hunger Action Month, HelloFresh saw a 25% increase in customer contributions compared to previous months through its Meals with Meaning in-app program. Since the start of 2021, HelloFresh has provided approximately 1 million pounds of food to the Feeding America network and nearly 5.2 million pounds of food overall.
“Reducing food waste and combating food insecurity are core values at HelloFresh and through our various social impact initiatives, like Beyond the Box, we can address both issues,” said Uwe Voss, CEO of HelloFresh U.S. “We are extremely grateful to our various partners and our customers for helping us to work towards positive, lasting change in our local communities.”
As part of its ongoing efforts to support the communities in which it operates, HelloFresh has introduced several initiatives through its Beyond the Box programming, including:
- Network of Charitable & Corporate Partners: HelloFresh works with over 20 partners across its network, including food banks, food rescue organizations, corporate partners, and local governments, such as Second Helpings Atlanta (Newnan, GA), Table to Table (Newark, NJ), Pratt Industries, Standard Meat, We Don’t Waste (Aurora, CO), Tarrant Area Food Bank (Grand Prairie, TX), Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano (Richmond, CA), New York State Division of Veterans’ Services, City of Atlanta and more. Each week, HelloFresh identifies fresh food surplus from its distribution centers which is then distributed to the local community members in need.
- Meals with Meaning: In 2020, HelloFresh launched Meals with Meaning as a response to the increased levels of food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program kicked off by providing approximately 600,000 free meal kits to families facing hunger in Newark, NJ, and Brooklyn, NY, and recently has expanded to Dallas, TX and Atlanta, GA. The goal is to distribute at least 1.5 million meals through 2022.
- Customer Contributions: HelloFresh customers have the opportunity to gift a meal kit to someone in need by adding “Meals with Meaning” to their HelloFresh menu selection. This option is offered each week through the HelloFresh Market, allowing customers to give the gift of nourishing meals to food-insecure households.
To learn more about HelloFresh’s social impact initiatives through its Beyond the Box program, visit: https://www.hellofresh.com/pages/beyond-the-box.
About HelloFresh
HelloFresh is the world’s leading meal-kit company and operates across 15 international markets. In 2020, HelloFresh delivered more than 278 million meals to customers across the U.S. With a focus on helping Americans eat more sustainably, HelloFresh is the first carbon neutral meal-kit company. HelloFresh was named America’s Best Customer Service for Meal Kits in 2020 and voted the #1 most trusted meal kit brand in America in 2021 by Newsweek. HelloFresh was founded in Berlin in November 2011 and has U.S. offices in New York, Chicago, and Boulder.
