The 3000 Club to Rescue More than 150,000 Pounds of Produce Thanks to $25,000 Humana Foundation Grant

More than 150,000 pounds of produce will be saved and distributed to Arizona families thanks to a Humana Foundation grant to The 3000 Club, a Phoenix-based nonprofit based in Deer Valley. The 3000 Club received a $25,000 Spirit of Philanthropy Award grant from the Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana – a leading health and well-being company – on March 14, during a celebration event. The Spirit of Philanthropy Award is awarded to a group of Humana employees who display exceptional commitment to the community through volunteerism.

Award winners can designate a $25,000 grant from the Humana Foundation for the nonprofit of their choice. The Humana Foundation grant is part of Humana’s commitment to volunteerism.

For four years, Humana employees have been partnering with The 3000 Club to host and volunteer at Market On the Move events at four Humana sites in the Valley of the Sun. In 2018, more than 100 Humana employees volunteered 315 hours at four Market On the Move events.
Thanks to the grant, The 3000 Club will be able to rescue more than 150,000 pounds of produce, allowing the organization to serve more than 25,000 additional families this year through the Market On the Move program.

The program fed more than 95,000 families in 2018.

“Imagine throwing away perfectly good produce because it isn’t pretty enough to display in a grocery store. That happens every day in Arizona and across the country,” said Nicco Punzalan, The 3000 Club Executive Director. “We started the Market On the Move program nine years ago to help get fresh produce to the community. We couldn’t have this program without the support of organizations like Humana, who have been volunteering with us for four years and really understand the importance fresh food plays in the health of the community.”

The Market On the Move program provides a farmers’ market atmosphere where anyone can receive 60 pounds of fresh, lightly bruised produce for a $10 donation.

The 3000 Club obtains produce that goes unsold from grocery store distributors – that would normally go to waste in landfills – and sells it to the local community providing affordable access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The 3000 Club has three main programs: Market On the Move, Medical Reclamation and Monitor Recycling Program. For more information visit the3000club.org.