Introducing our Partners
Food is the heart and soul of what we do at HelloFresh. From where it’s sourced and how it’s prepared, to ensuring a timely arrival to customers’ doorsteps. But equally important is making sure that everyone has access to fresh, healthy food. Enter: Second Helpings Atlanta.
The HelloFresh Meals with Meaning program first launched in 2020 as a direct response to the rising rates of food insecurity, which intensified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The national program provides free HelloFresh meal kits to individuals in need, with each kit containing fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards to create home-cooked meals. Around the country, we partner with food banks and local community organizers who volunteer their time to pack and distribute the meal kits in Newark, NJ; Brooklyn, NY; Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX; Atlanta, GA; and Phoenix, AZ.
In Atlanta, GA, we partner with Second Helpings Atlanta, a food rescue nonprofit whose mission is to reduce hunger and food waste by taking healthy surplus food and distributing it to those in need. Learn more about the organization from Katie Maxwell, Second Helpings Atlanta’s Operations Manager, who discussed their purpose and future plans with us.
Katie Maxwell, Second Helpings Atlanta: Our organization was first approached by HelloFresh in October of 2020. They were looking for a way to ensure any surplus food coming from their Newnan, GA production would go towards feeding people in and around the Metro Atlanta community. We were thrilled to partner with them so we got a 26-foot truck, we secured a warehouse, we found drivers, and we started rescuing all the excess food from the HelloFresh Newnan facility and started distributing it to the community.
Once this process was established, we were able to take our partnership even further and introduce the Meals with Meaning meal kit giveaway program.
HF: Did you have to adapt your set-up to accommodate this program?
KM: Before the Meals with Meaning program came our way, we were a staff of six people. But with this partnership, we had an opportunity to make a larger impact in the community. HelloFresh donates ingredients to us and we enlist our volunteer power to pack the meal kits. We then work with the City of Atlanta and our partners to get the meals out to whoever needs them.
HF: In what other ways did Second Helpings Atlanta evolve with the Meals with Meaning partnership?
KM: Not only did this program significantly increase the volume of food that we were able to distribute to the community, it also changed the scale of food that we would move at one time. Because of this relationship, we’ve actually started an additional program out of our warehouse that we call Friday Produce Distribution, where we are able to serve up to 20 different nonprofits every single week utilizing the surplus produce that is donated by HelloFresh.
HF: What should more people know about food insecurity?
KM: One of the things that we like to remind people is that food insecurity doesn’t have a particular ‘look’ or a particular ‘type’ of person. Food insecurity impacts people across all demographics in all ranges and most Americans are closer to being food insecure than anyone realizes. For example, a single unexpected bill can cause people to choose between groceries or car payments.
HF: How can people become more involved in helping mitigate food insecurity in their communities?
KM: People can increase their awareness of how hunger impacts their communities and those around them. Learning more about this issue, and becoming a food rescue volunteer is a really direct, impactful way to help make a difference in your area. Also, reducing your own food waste and knowing how important of a resource food is helps understand its value.
HF: What other partners does Second Helpings Atlanta work with in your community?
KM: We also help transport food to other nonprofits that have outreach programs. Our volunteers are huge partners of ours. We have staff drivers and vehicles, but the majority of our food rescue routes are still run by community volunteers who get in their own vehicles and give their time to move food. For programs like Meals with Meaning, we also partner with the City of Atlanta to help determine the best spot for the meal kits to go.
+++
As of the time of publishing, we have assembled more than 800,000 meals to give out to the Metro Atlanta community! To dive deeper into Second Helping Atlanta’s inspiring work, click here.
