According to Feeding America, more than 44 million people in the United States face hunger each year, including 1 in 5 children.
About two billion pounds of food is rescued each year by food banks comprising the Feeding America network, with more than 49 million people turning to these charitable organizations in 2023 to help feed their families.
The logistics of moving thousands of pallets of donated food with manual equipment, or no equipment at all, is overwhelming to hunger relief organizations, many of which are run by a small staff or volunteers. That’s where material handling companies like Carolina Handling can help.
In our new fiscal year that began April 1, Carolina Handling turned its philanthropic focus to fighting hunger with a yearlong campaign entitled “Handling Hunger Together.” Throughout the year, our associates will volunteer at mobile food distribution events and food banks, pack weekend backpacks for children and hold special events to raise money for hunger relief organizations throughout our territory.
And to celebrate Carolina Handling’s 58 years in business in 2024, we launched a 58 for 58 pallet jack giveaway on May 1 to award 58 Raymond 8210 motorized walkie pallet jacks to qualifying organizations throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
“There are numerous organizations throughout our territory that receive, store and distribute thousands of pounds of food each year to feed the hungry,” said Carolina Handling President & CEO Brent Hillabrand. “The need for reliable equipment to unload and move pallets at food banks and pantries is even greater than we realized. We’re honored to partner with so many nonprofits that are addressing food insecurity in their communities.”
The organizations that are receiving a motorized pallet jack from Carolina Handling combine to serve 11.2 million adults and children each year throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. Together, they distribute an average of 290 million pounds of food annually.
“Fighting food insecurity is a challenge, and since the pandemic that challenge has taken on a new look,” said Donal Dickens, regional branch coordinator at Second Harvest Food Bank in Williamston, South Carolina. “One constant throughout it all is the need for resources to put food in our communities. Any donation of time, food, money or equipment is extremely welcomed and goes a long way.”
In addition to faster pickup, setup and distribution, the motorized pallet jacks have improved the health and safety of food bank staff and volunteers, recipients say.
“The safety of our volunteers will be greatly improved by the efficiency and multiple uses of this new asset,” said Allen G. Triebel, executive director of Gilmer Community Food Pantry in Ellijay, Georgia. “We will be able to maneuver large pallets inside our panel truck, and our petite pet pantry team leader will now be able to move pallets loaded with 500 lbs. of pet food safely and with ease."
Ken Tuck, executive director of Love In Action International Ministries in Dothan, Alabama, agrees.
“We have a manual pallet jack and while that’s good to have, I’m getting on up in age a little bit and to have that motorized one saves backs, especially in this heat and humidity in South Alabama,” Tuck said.
Staff and volunteers at Bountiful Blessings in Gastonia, North Carolina, also found the motorized pallet jack to be a step up from its manual version.
“So, we’ve got 26 pallets on a 53-foot reefer truck,” explained Bountiful Blessings director Rodney Freeman. “That hand pallet truck is good at the beginning, but when you get to the front of that trailer and try to push about 4,000 pounds of food to the back, it’s tough.”
At AIM in downtown Anderson, South Carolina, the motorized pallet jack has improved warehouse operations and the logistics of AIM’s daily drive-through food distribution program.
“We’re a small nonprofit, so having the resources to purchase something like new equipment is very rare,” said Sarah Ann Bannister, AIM's director of resource development. “We’re so excited for the motorized pallet jack. We’re able to unload trucks and get things moved around the pantry so much easier.”
At Feeding GA Families in Atlanta, where staff and volunteers serve about 5,000 families each month with a drive-through food distribution program, the motorized pallet jack has reduced the workload by about 50 percent, said co-founder and CFO Alicia Rivera.
“We operate faster, which means we can set up faster, we get food distributed faster, and we’re able to do food pickups quicker,” Rivera said. “That means we can do more pickups in a day having that electric equipment.”
Carolina Handling 58 for 58 Motorized Pallet Jack Recipients
ACTS, Aiken, SC
AIM, Anderson, SC
Anderson Emergency Kitchen, Anderson, SC
Another Chance of Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Appalachian Ministries of The Carolinas, Pelzer, SC
Backpack Buddies of Metro Atlanta, Dunwoody, GA
Bags of Hope, Cornelius, NC
Blessings Working Together, Douglasville, GA
Bountiful Blessings Food Ministry, Jacksonville, NC
Bountiful Blessings Food Pantry, Gastonia, NC
Bremen Food & Clothing Bank, Inc., Breman, GA
Calvary Community Care, Navassa, NC
Church Community Services of Scotland County, Laurinburg, NC
City Bridges, Inc., Fairburn, GA
Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, Birmingham, AL
Community Ministry of North Augusta, North Augusta, SC
Decision Point Ministries, Atlanta, GA
Favor House, Atlanta, GA
Feeding & Helping Georgians, Atlanta, GA
Feeding GA Families Inc., Atlanta, GA
Food Bank of North Alabama, Huntsville, AL
Food2Life - Rescue Food Foundation, Decatur, GA
Gillsville Baptist Church GEM Missions Program, Gillsville, GA
Gilmer Community Food Pantry, Ellijay, GA
Gleaning House Food Pantry, Pickens, SC
Good News Buenas Nuevas International Ministries, Pine Level, NC
Ignite Resource Center, College Park, GA
Juniper Level Missionary Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC
Klonnie Lewis Food Pantry, Gordon, GA
Loaves & Fishes Greenville, SC
Love In Action International Ministries, Dothan, AL
Making A Way Housing, Inc., Atlanta, GA
Martha's Mission Cupboard, Morehead City, NC
Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, Macon, GA
Midwest Food Bank – Georgia, Peachtree City, GA
Miracle Hill Ministries, Greenville, SC
Ms. Linda's Legacy, Inc., Lithonia, GA
Nicole’s House of Hope, Atlanta, GA
Northeast Georgia Food Bank, Athens, GA
Open Door Food Bank, Jacksonville, NC
Our Daily Bread Christian Food Ministry, Inc., Rockingham, NC
Providence Ministries Inc., Dalton, GA
Rainbow Pantry, Royston, GA
Recovery Ventures, Rutherfordton, NC
Second Harvest Food Bank, Spartanburg, SC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Charlotte, NC
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Williamston, SC
Shiloh McDonough Community Outreach, McDonough, GA
Ship Outreach and Community Center, Raleigh, NC
The Clay House Inc., Riverdale, GA
The LOT Project, Inc., Anderson, SC
The Salvation Army, Raleigh, NC
The Salvation Army of Greenville, Oconee and Pickens, Greenville, SC
The Storehouse Pickens County, Easley, SC
The Villages at Carver Family YMCA, Atlanta, GA
There's Hope for the Hungry, Cumming, GA
United Christian Ministries, Easley, SC
United Food Force inc., McDonough, GA
Urban Recipe, Atlanta, GA
Vass Community Food Pantry, Vass, NC
Wade Walker Park Family YMCA, Stone Mountain, GA
West Alabama Food Bank, Tuscaloosa, AL
