SHREWSBURY, Mass. - Hundreds of red bags lined the floor inside Advantage Trucking Group's Shrewsbury location Thursday, each one filled with the ingredients for a holiday meal.
"Well, when you think of one in ten families are food insecure, or one in eight children, and those are Massachusetts statistics," said Kevin Holmes, ATG's president and CEO. "That's not just the national statistics. So, it's very important today."
What You Need To Know
- Advanced Trucking Group and UniBank teamed up for their "Haulin 4 Hunger" program
- Since 2012, the program has handed out more than 30,000 meals.
- Jeremiah's Inn and Veterans Inc. in Worcester are two of the numerous recipients of food bags this year
ATG has been handing out meals to people in community who need them most. Since 2012, the effort known as "Haulin' 4 Hunger" has given out more than 30,000 meals
"It's good people coming together for the good of the community," Holmes said.
Working in conjunction with UniBank, food will be distributed to numerous food pantries and nonprofits in central Massachusetts over the next few days.
Jeremiah's Inn is among those receiving meal bags this year. Their nutrition center fed more than 23,000 people in 2022.
"Not only do we work here we live here, we grew up here," said UniBank CEO Michael Welch. "So, we can see the fabric of the community - those who have done really well, and those who need support."
But even when the trucks leave and the food is dropped off, the fight is far from over.
"The holidays are here," Holmes said. "Everyone is in a very giving spirit. But then the holidays pass. The food insecure need our support each and every day, not just the holiday."
