New Jersey Non-Profit Makes Hunger A Year-Round Cause [AUDIO]

Neptune-based non-profit Move For Hunger has left its mark on the growing problem of hunger across the state and nation by creating a program that makes it easier and less expensive to feed more people.

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The organization was formed in 2009 by Adam Lowy, who family has run Lowy's Moving Company since 1924 in the Garden State. Being a 4th generation in the family business, Lowy saw first-hand how much food was left behind when people move from their homes. He realized how he could use his resources to ease the process of food transportation for local food banks.

"We're now working hand-in-hand with a lot of New Jersey food banks to begin to alleviate some of those costs," Lowy said.

How it works is, Move For Hunger teams up with moving companies across the country, who take unwanted, non-perishable food items during the moving process and deliver them to local food bank. The moving companies also deliver food to food banks that is collected from their food drive events across the country.

You may ask how the charity has spread across the country in such a short time?

"We found a way to do something to help people that doesn't really take much work for people to participate in," Lowy explains.

Between word of mouth and social media, Move For Hunger has spread their cause like wildfire across New Jersey and now into 41 states, having collected over 450,000 lbs. of food, while working with over 300 relocation companies and 100 real estate professionals across the country.

Move For Hunger also got live out a New Jersey thrill, while raising money for their cause. During the process for the December "American Giving Awards," Bruce Springsteen endorsed the charity.

"Bruce kind of lent his support," Lowy said, "He ended up telling people to vote for us and put us on his website. When you get the Boss's support, it really does mean something."

The group ended up winning $125,000 in grant money during those awards.

Through his travels across New Jersey and the country, Lowy has seen first-hand at food banks just how serious of a problem hunger is. Even more eye-opening was realization that hunger is affecting more than just the homeless and very poor.

"It's people with one or two jobs, the working poor, that are struggling to either put a meal on the table or pay the electric bill," he said.

While working tirelessly to hit Move For Hunger's goal of collecting 600,000 lbs. of food in 2012, Lowy is constantly trying to raise awareness and educate about hunger.

"We just want people to begin to think about hunger as a year-round problem," he explained, "It's not something that just affects people during the holidays."

Move For Hunger has partnered with the New Jersey Marathon during the first weekend in May to turn the event into one giant food drive, which has great potential to be collect a ton of food with more than 12,000 runners expected to turn-out.

During our interview, Lowy reiterated a few points of what the motivation behind Move For Hunger is. He pointed out that 1 in 6 Americans do not have enough to eat, while 17 million children go hungry every night.

"It is tough out there right now," he said, "People are hurting, and unfortunately, we all need to work harder to be able to support our neighbors."

Find out how you can get behind the mission of Move For Hunger by checking them out online and on Facebook

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