How do nonprofits move donated goods?
TQL shares logistics expertise through Moves that Matter
We at Total Quality Logistics (TQL) are passionate about helping others beyond our front door, and our Moves that Matter program does just that.
Through this TQL Cares initiative, the only program of its kind in the logistics industry, we contribute our 160,000+ carrier network and logistics expertise and cover the costs of transporting donated freight to nonprofits and communities in need.
Moving freight is complicated and expensive, and nonprofits often don’t have resources to dedicate to logistics. We are uniquely positioned to assist.
MTM supports food insecurity, children, military and disaster relief, along with a host of other causes. Our program allows nonprofits’ time and monetary resources to be spent on their missions and not transportation management.
Doubling our pledge
When the nation struggled with COVID-19 in early 2020, global supply chain setbacks prompted us to act on behalf of nonprofits that needed MTM to keep their organizations viable. We pledged to cover $1 million in transportation costs through MTM.
The program’s popularity helped us understand the size of the need – so we doubled our pledge to $2 million in 2022.
MTM is coming off its best year yet. We transported 352 truckloads (or 11.6 million pounds) of charitable freight to 91 nonprofits while absorbing $351,480 in costs. MTM ensured the delivery of valuable and sometimes lifesaving resources.
- We covered the transportation of donated household goods, hygiene products, meals and water to people affected by natural disasters.
- We intervened in the food logistics supply chain to ensure millions of pounds of fresh food reached people instead of spoiling in landfills.
- We created impact from within, empowering employees to volunteer their logistics skills to help others.
A closer look at MTM
Navy veteran Eric, one of our Logistics Account Executives (LAE), teamed up with nonprofits World of Connections and Operation Ukraine, the city of Beaufort, S.C., and Sopakco, a leader in Meals Ready to Eat (MRE), to assist Ukraine after the Russian invasion.
Eric arranged for the transportation of four shipping containers filled with 8,000 pounds of grains and 100,000 MRE to Ostroh, a sister city of Beaufort.
When Hurricane Ian ruined the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s three all-terrain vehicles, LAE Jeff – the son of a lieutenant in the department – contacted a TQL colleague who works with an automotive manufacturer. We purchased three new ATVs at a discount from the manufacturer and moved them to Bonita Springs, Fla. so the officers could resume beach patrol.
MTM enables nonprofits’ missions by providing expertise to fill the logistics gap. Our recurring partnerships include HelloFresh, the nation’s No. 1 meal kit company. MTM has transported over 100 truckloads of fresh food products provided by HelloFresh to six food banks nationwide, including Second Helpings Atlanta and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.
Through a partnership with children’s plant-based food brand Once Upon a Farm, we have moved 90,000 meals to the nonprofit Save the Children.
The story behind the program
MTM started with playgrounds.
After the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, the Where Angels Play Foundation planned to build 26 playgrounds to honor the children whose lives were lost. The foundation asked TQL to transport a playground for 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, whose shouts to classmates to run helped save six lives.
The foundation was in dire need of even more reliable logistics services after other plans to move the materials fell through, leaving hundreds at volunteer events waiting. We moved six playgrounds, including Jesse’s, at no cost.
This was our “aha” moment. We understood that nonprofits lacked the expertise or funds to pay for reliable logistics knowledge.
In the years since then, MTM has blossomed. The program has donated more than $915,000 in transportation costs and moved more than 22 million pounds of charitable goods since 2014.
Through MTM, we unite our operational and social impact initiatives to provide a missing piece of the puzzle to nonprofits tirelessly serving communities in need. To us, every move matters.
Need help moving your donated goods? Apply for help here.
By the numbers
240+: Nonprofits helped since 2014
$12 million+: Value of goods transported at no cost since 2020
22 million: Pounds of charitable goods moved through MTM since 2020
$915,923: MTM transportation costs covered since 2020, nearly 46% of TQL's $2 million pledge
765: MTM loads since 2014
352: MTM loads in 2022
