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​Press Release

Women Forward International and TC Energía present food rescue program for Veracruz

With the support of Coparmex, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico and the Coordinating Council of Women Entrepreneurs, the program focuses on women and girls living in food poverty

 

Mexico City, August 8, 2023 - The international non-profit organization, Women Forward International (WFI) and TC Energía, a leading energy infrastructure company, joined forces to launch the program "Sharing abundance: a new model for food rescue in Mexico" with which a pilot food rescue program will be carried out in Veracruz.

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As a first step and under the direction of WFI, a team from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), Azcapotzalco campus, will conduct a feasibility study to determine the best way to launch this program in the state but with the goal of scaling it to a national level.  The program follows a food rescue model called White Pony Express (WPE) whose international success is based on identifying surplus sources of fresh and healthy food, sorting it to ensure it is of high quality, and customizing deliveries based on the specific needs of the populations served.

Women and girls are the demographic group most vulnerable to food insecurity worldwide.

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Statistics show that at least twenty to thirty million people are food insecure in Mexico. Currently, a diverse group of civil society organizations is working to address this problem. Despite these efforts, the efficiency, collaboration and impact of food rescue programs in Mexico can be significantly improved through a robust, volunteer-based community program that incorporates and coordinates public and private partnerships.

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Women Forward International is expanding its collaboration with White Pony Express, with a mission to eliminate hunger and poverty by delivering the abundance that surrounds us to those most in need. Additionally, a conglomerate of Mexican organizations, including COPARMEX, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico and the Coordinating Council of Women Entrepreneurs are exploring ways to join the project through material, financial and voluntary contributions. Thanks to TC Energía's sponsorship, WFI is gathering vital research through the UAM to launch a far-reaching food security program in Mexico.

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"We seek to implement a new paradigm of lasting change that goes beyond traditional philanthropic concepts. The studies we support uncover game-changing innovations," commented, Kent Davis-Packard, founder of Women Forward International.

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Created in 2019, WFI has developed 20 projects around the world and is part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). WFI brings together graduate students from leading universities around the world with multilateral institutions, businesses and non-profit organizations to promote action-oriented research.

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"By putting women at the center of the food security conversation, TC Energía seeks to support the communities where we operate so that they can benefit from new models of food distribution led and operated by the communities themselves," said Jennifer Pierce, President of TC Energía. "In addition to being an energy solutions provider, we  seek to contribute specific solutions to the needs of the regions where we have a presence. Together we can inspire a new era based on humanity, love and service to the most vulnerable," she concluded.