Food Shuttle Truck Donated by First Citizens

The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle made a celebratory visit to the North Hills branch in Raleigh recently, showing off its newest vehicle,  which First Citizens donated to the organization. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle  (IFFS) is a hunger-relief organization serving seven counties in and around the Triangle of North Carolina. FCB has had a long-time relationship with the organization. The Food Shuttle’s previous food transportation vehicle was in need of much repair, so First Citizens decided to donate a brand new vehicle, which will assist the agency with its mission to feed the hungry.

On this recent Tuesday, the organization’s newest vehicle zipped across downtown and Midtown Raleigh, rescuing food that would have gone to waste from restaurants and other places like Trader Joes.  With refrigerated storage in the back, the new vehicle then transported this food to local  nonprofit organizations,  making sure it got there in time to serve people in need.

At North Hills, First Citizens associates, along with Food Shuttle  staff members and volunteers, got an up-close look at the vehicle. The side panels feature the IFFS logo that includes a large apple. On the back panel, the truck prominently displays First Citizens’ Forever First® commitment to the community. It reads, “For our community. For better lives. Forever First. First Citizens is proud to support Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.” The Bank’s Brand Marketing team coordinated the design of the Forever First message.

Chris Young, Triangle area executive, said the Bank is glad to do its part to help an organization by donating this vehicle.

“First Citizens is a long-time supporter of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle and we are pleased that this vehicle is not only helping to build a healthier community but also reflects our Forever First values to the community,” said Chris Young, Triangle Area Executive for First Citizens. “We wanted to ensure our assistance did more than make a one-time impact, so we’re glad that the new shuttle will make a difference for people in the Triangle for many years to come.”

Bob Shertz, a member of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Board Emeritus, thanked First Citizens for its partnership with the organization. He said that in the vehicle’s first year of operation, the new shuttle will recover about 700,000 pounds of food. That’s about $1 million worth of wholesome, good food that would have ended up in a landfill, he calculated.

“We love it when our trucks leave in the morning and return empty,” Shertz said.

For more information on IFFS programs to end hunger, visit www.FoodShuttle.org.

In the Kitchen with the... Hubbies: Josh's Kitchen Sink Chili

I like recipes. I like recipes because I am not very good at making up my own. I'm creative... but only once I have a good base recipe to follow. My husband however, is great at taking all of the leftover and on-the-verge-of-getting-thrown-away produce from the week and producing an amazing meal. I wasn't around to see the entire process but as you can see, the end result was colorful and delicious. So, without further ado, I give you Josh's Kitchen Sink Chili (which he made with Vegan Cornbread).

Josh's Kitchen Sink Chili

Ingredients

• one large sweet potato, skin still on (but scrubbed clean)
• two onions, diced
• 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, with their juices
• one can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• one can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• one can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• one cup of cilantro, diced

Directions 1. Scrub sweet potato, carrots, and celery. Open tomatoes and beans; rinse cans of beans. 2. Dice potato, onions, carrots, and celery. 3. Dump tomatoes and their juices in a Dutch oven. Bring to simmer. Throw in all other ingredients. Let simmer for 25-30 minutes. 4. Sprinkle cilantro on top. Voila! You're done!