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The Farmlink Project

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The Farmlink Project
FormationApril 15th, 2020
TypeNon-profit
PurposeFood rescue, food waste reduction
HeadquartersRemote
Region
International
CEO
Ben Collier
Staff20
Volunteers
650
Websitewww.farmlinkproject.org

The Farmlink Project is a United States-based nonprofit organization that combats food insecurity and food waste by connecting farms with surplus produce to food banks.[1] The Farmlink Project is both focussed on immediate relief exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other emergencies, for growers and food-insecure communities as well as long-term solutions to address food insecurity and minimize food waste.[2] The nonprofit also focusses on advocating for systemic change for the United States food system through policy initiatives.[1][3] Since its founding in April 2020, The Farmlink Project, which is primarily run and operated by college students, has rescued over 100 million pounds of produce, delivered surplus food to 300 food banks in 48 states, and provided over 85 million meals to families experiencing hunger.[4] The nonprofit has raised over $15 million, and partnered with Uber Freight, Chipotle, Kroger, and Google.[5]

History

The Farmlink Project began in April 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Originally an idea to motivate Americans to donate their surplus stimulus checks, the idea morphed into students renting U-Haul's to pick up surplus produce from farms and bringing it back to Westside Food Bank in Los Angeles.[6][7] The original founding members were Aidan Reilly, James Kanoff, Owen Dubeck, Ben Collier, Will Collier, Jordan Hartzell, and Stella Delp.[8][9][10][11]

Leadership

James Kanoff was The Farmlink Projects first CEO beginning in 2020 while attending Stanford University.[12] Ben Collier joined Kanoff as co-CEO in December 2021.[13] Kanoff transitioned out of his role as co-CEO in February 2023 and Collier is now the CEO of The Farmlink Project.[14]

Approach

The slogan of The Farmlink Project is “Fighting food insecurity is our mission - repurposing surplus produce is our solution.”[1] According to the website, “The Farmlink Project is acting as the “link” connecting the broken supply chains in the agricultural and access industries.”[1] The Washington Post reported in 2020 that The Farmlink Project “raises money to pay farmers for produce and dairy that would otherwise be wasted, then funds the transportation to send the goods to food banks in the neediest areas around the country.”[15] The Farmlink Project's website states that it will cover all shipping and logistics costs, organize and oversee all transportation and delivery logistics, work with all quantities, packaging, and produce of any form, and optimize and file for maximum possible value of tax benefits for farmers.[16] In an interview with the Boston Globe, one of the original creators of the project explained that The Farmlink Project is founded and built by “more than 200 college students from about 30 colleges - including Stanford University, Cornell University, and Georgetown University - and other walks of life.”[17]  

Awards

Two of the founders of The Farmlink Project, Aidan Reilly and James Kanoff, were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Citizen's Service Award in April 2021.[18][19][20][21] Kanoff and Reilly were named in Forbes' "30 under 30 North America" 2022 for social impact.[22] Collier, Kanoff, and Reilly received the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in November 2022.[21]

COVID-19 pandemic

The Farmlink Project was originally created in response to the acute food insecurity crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, students from Brown and Stanford University assembled a group, called hundreds of food banks and farms, and were able to deliver 50,000 pounds of produce from small grassroots donations in less than 5 days.[23]

The Farmlink Project's carbon credits program, “Carbonlink” is a third-party verified program that allows individuals to quantify their own carbon footprint and purchase credits through the Farmlink Project to offset emissions.[24] As of January, 2023, Farmlink's carbon-offsetting program has been operated through a partnership with Brightly, a for-profit entity which processes and sells Farmlink's food-waste removal credits to companies across the world.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "About Us | The Farmlink Project". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ^ Priolo, Teresa (2021-04-07). "Farmlink Project fights rising food insecurity amid pandemic". FOX 5 NY. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  3. ^ "Policy Advocacy at The United Fresh Conference". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  4. ^ "The Farmlink Project | United States". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  5. ^ "Corporate Partnerships | The Farmlink Project". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  6. ^ Dubbins, Andrew (March 2, 2022). "How Farmlink Helped Save Endangered L.A. Food Banks". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Celebrating a Year of Food Recovery with The Farmlink Project". Food Recovery Network. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  8. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (2020-05-14). "Idled College Students Attack Food Waste Problem With FarmLink Project". Variety. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  9. ^ "Conversations on COVID: Students organize to take food from farms to food banks". Brown University. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  10. ^ Torgan, Allie (2022-06-30). "These friends rescued harvests headed for the trash and helped turn food waste into millions of meals". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  11. ^ "About". Owen Dubeck. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  12. ^ "LA Thanksgiving Food Distribution". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  13. ^ "Ben Collier". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  14. ^ "Ben Collier". summit.refed.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  15. ^ "Extra food is rotting on farms while Americans go hungry. This group is trying to fix that". Washington Post. 2020-06-12. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  16. ^ "Farmers | The Farmlink Project". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  17. ^ Fitzpatrick, Edward (September 14, 2020). "Students link farms to food banks". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  18. ^ "Aidan Reilly | Citizen Honors". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  19. ^ "Brown student who co-founded Farmlink named National Medal of Honor Service Act winner". Brown University. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  20. ^ "Stanford junior wins 2021 Congressional Medal of Honor Society Service Award". Stanford Report. 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  21. ^ a b "Multiplying Good Announces 50th Anniversary "Jefferson Awards" and Honorees". GlobeNewswire News Room (in French). 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  22. ^ "The Farmlink Project". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  23. ^ "Stanford students help connect farmers with food banks". Stanford News. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  24. ^ "Carbonlink | Farmlink's Carbon Offset Program". www.farmlinkproject.org. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  25. ^ "Brightly: Creating Value at the Intersection of Food Recovery and Climate Change". www.justbrightly.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
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