Rob Hooper, Jr. CEO of Atlantic Logistics and his mother Evie Hooper, founder of the company, launched the organization’s volunteer and philanthropy initiative called, Atlantic Cares in December 2021 following a 20-year tradition with charitable giving. Local nonprofits were named to benefit from the funding, and a formalized volunteer program with staff members who receive paid workdays to help those in need.
According to Rob Hooper, Jr., the business contributes one dollar for every load of freight moved in 2022, and each month a different organization is chosen for a donation. The organizations were selected through submissions from the Atlantic Cares team, and then evaluated with nonprofit industry methods.
The 12 nonprofits selected will receive an estimated $2,500 donation including Seamark Ranch, Ronald McDonald House, Feeding Northeast Florida, ALS Association, Sulzbacher Center, Coral Restoration Foundation, Operation New Uniform, Tunnels to Towers, St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund Inc., 6:8 Ministries, United Way of Northeast Florida, and Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
Starting in first quarter 2022, in January, Jan Brittingham, Atlantic Logistics’ Director of Human Resources, is frequently found among the fruit and fields at Seamark Ranch, where she volunteers each month to assist the ranch in its mission to provide a traditional home environment for children in crisis.
The ranch is a Christian-based organization and provides therapy-based and individualized care in faith, school and the community, and boasts a variety of food crops and farm animals the children grow and tend. As the January recipient of the Atlantic Cares charitable giving program, Seamark Ranch will use the corporate gift to acquire and repair essential farming equipment. Brittingham is at the ranch the second Saturday of each month working in the fields. Brittingham believes in Seamark’s mission, which unconditionally accepts children who have struggled with abuse.
According to Seamark Ranch CEO Greg Voss, the 465 acres includes the farm where crops are harvested with blueberry plants, strawberry fields, and orange trees, plus a horse pasture that requires clearing. Brittingham finds great purpose in helping Voss and the Ranch sharing a similar Atlantic Cares tenet to give back to the community and be humbled to have the means to help worthy causes in Northeast Florida, and beyond.
In February, Atlantic Cares supported the Ronald McDonald House Charities and its mission to heal sick children and provide housing, nourishment, and comfort for families and relatives during difficult times. Although the nonprofit is a well-known American organization, global recognition doesn’t always translate to immense funding. The local office in Jacksonville depends on community donations from companies like Atlantic Logistics to help fulfill a mission of creating, finding and supporting programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families.
“Donations have a huge impact on what we do,” said Diane Boyle, the Executive Director of The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville. “Every donation is important to our charity. We value each one, whether it’s an in-kind donation or financial. Although we have many locations, we raise every penny of our budget right here in Jacksonville every year,” she said.
The donation from Atlantic Logistics will help the Ronald McDonald House fulfill its wish list of items they need locally from food items and toiletries to kitchen utensils, gift cards and games, along with financial donations and volunteers.
In March, Feeding Northeast Florida was selected as the transportation company’s philanthropic beneficiary to help the nonprofit’s work to coordinate with more than 300 nonprofit partner agencies and programs, and distributing close to 31 million pounds of food to 2.8 million individuals while covering an eight-county area, which is 55,000 square miles.
“We are really, at the core, coming from a belief that no one in our community should be hungry or struggling with this basic human need,” said Sarah Dobson, the Director of Development at Feeding Northeast Florida. “There is plenty of food in this country to feed everyone. It comes down to access. In some parts of our community, both urban and rural, there just are not many grocery stores or places that provide access to healthy food. Our role is to get the food, make sure it is healthy and safe, and then redistribute it.”
Feeding Northeast Florida’s mission is key to Atlantic Logistics support. The third-party logistics (3PL) provider chose Feeding Northeast Florida for its charitable giving program as the pandemic was a strong reminder of how easily the most basic items can be taken away from many in need. According to Atlantic Logistics Chief Operating Officer Johnnie Greene, “Helping with food insecurity supports the company’s philosophy that no one should go hungry. Period."
Rob Hooper, Jr. personally volunteers and donates to professional and educational organizations in the region and places great importance in volunteering at his church and the mission-oriented ministry, among others. He and his company team members will continue to support the selected charities in 2022 with volunteers, funding, and in-kind services.
About Atlantic Logistics: Atlantic Logistics was founded in 2001 as a woman-owned business and experienced record growth in 2021, moving over 30,000 loads and generating $41 million in total revenue. Utilizing the industry’s latest technologies such as load-tracking, digital freight matching and transportation management software, the company is prospering. Professional partners including McLeod Software have maximized Atlantic Logistics' resources to meet logistics and supply chain challenges into 2022 and beyond. For more information, call 800.940.8712. Visit https://www.shipatlantic.com and https://www.shipatlantic.com/tags/atlantic-cares.
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