Yes, you can help stuff this truck

Timing is everything in business, and in some other instances it can be critical, as well.

While local organizations are to be commended for supporting hunger relief during the holidays each year, the work involved in food distribution for the needy goes on 12 months a year.

Summer can be a slow time, with people on vacation, school out and everyone perhaps preoccupied with other activities. But I hasten to add that our local food bank — America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend — experiences plenty of demand during the summer months and a decrease in donations.

Here's where you can help. A huge moving van provided by AMWAT Moving, Warehousing & Storage will be out in the community this month to support the national project called Move for Hunger. AMWAT, Second Harvest and the Junior League of Tallahassee, in fact, will have a "stuff the truck" event June 26. The Move for Hunger truck will be located at Cascades Park from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then at Lake Ella for Food Truck Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.

Across the country, movers are encouraging food bank donations from their clients who are packing up to relocate. Rather than tossing nonperishable food items, those homeowners are encouraged to give the groceries to their participating mover. A nifty idea.

Of course, not everybody is moving this summer, but you can still pitch in to help fill the truck. Remember, too, that about one-third of the individuals facing hunger in our community are children.

And for motivation, spend 5 minutes with Dean and Gloria Pugh, AMWAT's owners, and you'll catch their excitement and urgency to make this project a success.

"We are hoping the community will donate enough food to fill the moving truck," Gloria says. "We are getting positive response from many in the community, including Notary Public Underwriters, Junior League of Tallahassee, Cumulus, Fox 49, Food Truck Association, Lake Ella Merchants, City of Tallahassee, and countless individuals committing their support."

If you'd like more info or suggestions on how your company or organization can help, call her at 877-7131. The goal is a simple one, Gloria adds.

"Our mission is no one goes hungry."