Liberty Military Housing (Liberty), the first employee-owned military housing provider in the country and the largest in the multifamily industry, has announced that its communities at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) have collectively been named the 2024 Community of the Year by Move for Hunger, a national non-profit organization that reduces food waste and fights food insecurity.  

JBLM earned this recognition by collecting more food for donation than any other member of Move for Hunger’s Multifamily Partnership Program, with the community contributing over 2,000 pounds of food to community kitchens in the Pacific Northwest.  JBLM is the first military housing community to be honored as Community of the Year. 

“Food insecurity is a pervasive issue, particularly within the military community,” says Beth Peterson, Regional Vice President, Liberty Military Housing. “As a company that serves military families, we strive to make a positive impact on the quality of life for every service member – not just those who live within our communities. We are humbled to know that our community’s efforts with Move For Hunger have had such a profound impact.”    

In the United States, an estimated 38% of all food in America is wasted. Moving can significantly contribute to food waste, as people often discard fridge or pantry items that they don’t want to transport. Move for Hunger helps prevent food waste by partnering with housing providers like Liberty. As residents pack up their homes to prepare for their move, they can place any unopened, non-perishable food items in a donation bag and can drop it off at the district office. Last year, Move for Hunger’s network delivered over 15 million pounds of food, which fed more than 12 million people.