Thermo King Accelerates Commitment to End Hunger with Expansion of We Move Food Program

Program doubles number of grants to Feeding America Food Banks to increase refrigerated transport capabilities, reduce food waste and improve access to perishable foods to nourish the hungry

Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nov. 9, 2018 – With nearly $200 billion dollars of food thrown away in the U.S. each year, research suggests that hunger in America may be less of a supply problem and more of a logistics challenge. To address this growing global epidemic, Thermo King, the leader in transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, together with the Ingersoll Rand Foundation announced today the expansion of its social initiative We Move Food™.

More than doubling its outreach, Thermo King’s We Move Food awarded nearly $25,000 in grants to seven additional Feeding America food banks, including: Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Central California Food Bank, North Texas Food Bank, Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

“We’re inspired by the initial impact We Move Food made in Minneapolis, Chicago and Salt Lake City and excited to support additional food banks in their mission to give more families across more communities acess to healthy and nutritious options,” said Ray Pittard, president of Thermo King. “We Move Food helps bolster food banks’ refrigerated transport capabilities which are critically important for recovering surplus food, reducing waste and safely transporting perishable and nutritious options to agencies directly serving people in need. If we can work together to eliminate this roadblock in the cold chain, we will pave a smoother and more sustainable road to ending hunger.”

Through grants, special pricing on refrigerated products and services and in-kind gifts, We Move Food makes it easier and more affordable for food banks throughout the U.S. to safely recover, redirect and distribute fresh food to families who need it most. The program launched in May 2017 with grants awarded to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, VEAP in Bloomington, and the Utah Food Bank of Salt Lake City.

Since its inception, We Move Food has made a considerable impact:

·        More than $300,000 in donations, in-kind services and special pricing on refrigerated products and services to support food banks across the U.S.

·        Over 150,000 meals have been served to families in need

·        Nearly 30 Thermo King dealers are in engaged in the We Move Food program

We Move Food also includes a commitment to volunteerism and community engagement. Ingersoll Rand employees from across the U.S. alongside employees from the Thermo King dealer network, which is nearly 200 strong and located in all major U.S. cities, are volunteering at mobile food pantries and food drives, reclaiming healthy food from retailers and restaurants, and working with the community food banks to make their operations run more efficiently and effectively.  

Thermo King and Ingersoll Rand have a national relationship with Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Ingersoll Rand’s roots are grounded in addressing global trends like food stability, that impact the way that we live, work and move. As part of the company’s commitment to sustainability, it has set and is working toward achieving 2020 sustainability goals including supporting food stability and nutritional education to 200,000 children through signature programs like We Move Food. Ingersoll Rand has exceeded the goal, two years ahead of schedule.