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. 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. The nonprofit also focusses on advocating for systemic change for the United States food system through policy initiatives. 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. The nonprofit has raised over $15 million, and partnered with Uber Freight, Chipotle, Kroger, and Google.
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. The original founding members were Aidan Reilly, James Kanoff, Owen Dubeck, Ben Collier, Will Collier, Jordan Hartzell, and Stella Delp.
Leadership
James Kanoff was The Farmlink Projects first CEO beginning in 2020 while attending Stanford University. Ben Collier joined Kanoff as co-CEO in December 2021. Kanoff transitioned out of his role as co-CEO in February 2023 and Collier is now the CEO of The Farmlink Project.
Approach
The slogan of The Farmlink Project is “Fighting food insecurity is our mission - repurposing surplus produce is our solution.” According to the website, “The Farmlink Project is acting as the “link” connecting the broken supply chains in the agricultural and access industries.” 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.” 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. 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.”
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. Kanoff and Reilly were named in Forbes' "30 under 30 North America" 2022 for social impact. Collier, Kanoff, and Reilly received the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in November 2022.
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.
Carbonlink
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. 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.
References
External links
Farmlink Project website
Westside Food Bank
‘We Had to Do Something’: Trying to Prevent Massive Food Waste
America Together: College students connect farms with needy food banks amid coronavirus pandemic College students behind effort to save farms and get food to families in need These Students Are Sending Thousands Of Pounds Of Food Waste To Food Banks College students create new way for farmers to donate to food banks Nonprofit The Farmlink Project matches farmers with surplus produce with those in need - CBS News https://twitter.com/cnbcclosingbell/status/1257415863097004033?lang=en