Capital Area Food Bank’s New Partnership with Rideshare Company Makes Donating Food During the Holidays Uber-easy
Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 16, 2014 -- The Capital Area Food Bank, the region’s largest hunger-relief organization, has partnered with Uber, the rising ridesharing company to help get food to children, seniors and families during the holiday rush.
“Hunger is at all time high in the DC area with more than 700,000 people in need,” said Nancy Roman, President and CEO of the Captial Area Food Bank. “This innovative partnership solves a bottleneck and will help us get thousands of small donations to children, seniors and families who need them.”
Here’s how it works: Uber will provide first-time riders who use the promo code “CAFB” a free ride of up to $25 to one of the CAFB’s donation locations.
She said this gives donors who want to help, but who either don’t drive, or can’t get to and from the organizations’ facility in Northeast Washington – a way to contribute much needed canned goods. Roman said the organization needs tuna, canned chicken, beans and fruit in its own juice.
In addition, Uber will contribute $5 – the equivalent of 12 meals – to the food bank for every first-time rider who enters the promo code. With just a few taps on a smartphone, transportation for food drive or volunteer initiatives can be left to the professionals. It’s a win-win for all parties involved. The food bank can dedicate its transportation resources to moving the 42 million pounds of food it distributes annually to the community, and the folks who want to help solve hunger but lack transportation can do so more conveniently.
The partnership with Uber will make a huge impact on the CAFB by getting more food into the community, moving more volunteers to sort and pack food, and freeing up limited food bank resources to focus on hunger relief initiatives. Right now, over 100 schools, businesses and individuals are planning food drives; and in November and December alone, over 5,000 people will volunteer at one of the CAFB’s two locations in the District and Northern Virginia. With CAFB providing 35 million meals to over 500 food assistance partners in the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia, any extra help can make a big difference.
The Capital Area Food Bank has been addressing hunger in the Washington metro area since 1980. The Uber partnership is just one example of how the food bank utilizes innovative approaches to solving hunger.
About the Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in the Washington metro area serving over 530,000 people through direct food distribution programs and a network of 500 partner agencies. This year, the Capital Area Food Bank distributed 42 million pounds of food – the equivalent of 35 million meals – including 17.5 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. A member of Feeding America, CAFB takes a comprehensive approach to addressing hunger by increasing access to nutritious food, initiating change through skill-building and advocacy, and creating sustainability with outreach and training for those at risk of hunger. To learn more, visit: http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org, or find the Capital Area Food Bank on Facebook at facebook.com/ CapitalAreaFoodBank, and Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc.
Shamia Holloway, Capital Area Food Bank, +1 2026449830, [email protected]
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