Waste Management and Rush Enterprises Donate Truck for Critical Food Bank Program

OAKLAND, Calif. – Sept. 16, 2014 – At last year’s Waste Management Charity Golf Tournament Dinner, Waste Management president and CEO David Steiner and Waste Management of Alameda County, Inc. president Barry Skolnick presented a check for $95,000 to the Alameda County Community Food Bank for its new Mobile Pantry program. So moved by the food bank’s mission, W. M. “Rusty” Rush, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Rush Enterprises, Inc., decided to pledge a commercial truck to support the program.

“It was a wonderful evening as our colleagues joined us to support Alameda County nonprofit organizations,” said Skolnick. “Rusty’s unexpected donation to the Alameda County Community Food Bank highlighted the importance of supporting hunger-relief programs for children and their families.”

“Rush Enterprises is proud to partner with Waste Management in support of the Alameda County Community Food Bank,” said Rush. “This donation allows us to contribute to the communities in which we serve, and will help the ACCFB distribute healthy foods to children and families of Alameda County for years to come.”

To close the loop on this collaborative effort, the Alameda County Community Food Bank formally unveiled their new state-of-the-art, refrigerated truck to celebrate the success of the food bank’s Mobile Pantry program at its final summer Mobile Pantry distribution, held at the Martin Luther King Jr. branch of the Oakland Public Library on Aug. 22.

The summer Mobile Pantry program provides healthy food to families during the summer school meal gap. Nearly 100 families went “shopping” (free of charge) at a farmer’s market-style pantry distribution. Each family was able to take home bags weighing up to 25 pounds with fresh fruits, vegetables and shelf-stable staple foods.

An estimated 20,000 children in Oakland rely on free and reduced-cost meals during the school year, and most families struggle to replace those meals during the summer months when school meals aren’t available. Programs like Mobile Pantry play a critical role bridging school meal gaps by providing free, healthy food to families in need.

“With this truck, Waste Management and Rush Enterprises have made a tremendous investment in our Food Bank and communities throughout Alameda County,” says Suzan Bateson, executive director, Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Programs like our Mobile Pantry are critical to our ability to serve the 1-in-5 neighbors who rely on our help. We couldn’t do this without strong corporate support. We’re honored to partner with Waste Management and Rush Enterprises in our efforts to ensure every child in Alameda County receives proper nourishment.”

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