Man Coordinates With Farmers, Hauls Estimated 8 Million Pounds Of Food To Help Hungry Community Members

Oct 13, 2020

According to reports, the current epidemic has resulted in extreme food wastage and worldwide scarcity in food banks. This implies that the poor and hungry that require these amenities can have a very challenging time as they are at a higher risk of going without food for the coming months.

However, George Ahearn, from Othello, Washington, was willing to make a great impact and difference during this challenging time by going out of his way to provide through his newly established non-profit, EastWest Food Rescue. His work started in May 2020 and has reached out to help hundreds of people. 

George was born and grew up in a farming neighborhood in Othello, Washington. When Covid-19 began to spread in most parts of the United States, George was aware of its effects on the local farmers, reports CNN. He knew the pandemic would affect the town's supply chain, resulting in a drop in crop prices and the loss of millions of farm produce.

The wastefulness of it affected him. He knew that by doing something to make sure the food reaches those who needed food the most, such as food banks and homeless shelters, it would ease the burden that the pandemic had placed on these places. 

However, this task was not that simple since food bank safety rules and regulations required that the donated items be bagged and washed. Therefore, it was hard to ask a truck driver to distribute the food, and even if someone would agree, most people would not do multiple rounds to finish the job.

"What I didn't realize was the logistical nightmare, because I thought I could just show up with potatoes harvested straight from the ground and give them right to the food bank," said Ahearn. "I couldn't believe it."

He came up with the smart solution of establishing a non-profit organization tasked with asking for help to make sure that the needy received food. The non-profit organization now known as EastWest Food Rescue advertised for help on social media platforms and received dozens of donations from many people, including Nancy Balin, who became one of the charity co-founders.

Nancy is a well-known entrepreneur who manages FarmerFrog, a non-profit organization tasked with sowing school gardens across Washington. With her assistance, George's company gathered and delivered foods worth 60 tones across Washington in the first week.

The company went further to deliver two convoys that transported a total of 140,000 of donated food products, reports CNN. However, although the market was flooded, the state was short of onions and potatoes after three days, and they had to deliver food donations again.

Since the purpose of EastWest Food Rescue was to help the homeless in need of food and the farmers, they also offered farmers compensation for their work and labor. Although it is less than the capital they make during the normal farming days, it is certainly better than food going to waste with no payment.

Furthermore, EastWest Food Rescue also expands its mission when the need arises. When the fire broke out in the Pacific Northwest, George and his organization transported non-perishable goods to the affected families and those in need, reports CNN. Through this project, George has incredibly distributed food worth an estimated 8 million pounds through his selfless and hard work.

After establishing EastWest Food Rescue, many people followed George's footsteps by helping the homeless and people in need of food. Many people are currently joining George's mission in showing love to others in need and preventing food wastage.