Lender Pledges $100,000 To Reduce Hunger, Offset Carbon Emissions

Planet Financial Group, LLC, a family of companies delivering origination, servicing, and asset management solutions, will donate $100,000 to The Farmlink Project. The Farmlink Project is a nonprofit grassroots movement that connects surplus produce to communities in need, reduces carbon emissions and empowers the next generation of young changemakers.

The Farmlink Project connects farmers to food banks, delivering millions of pounds of farm-fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted to feed families in need. Through its Carbonlink program, the nonprofit supports comprehensive carbon offset projects that counteract emissions from our global food system. According to Nature Food, a food research journal, food systems produce 34 % of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“We support Farmlink because we care deeply about the communities we serve and the environment,” said Planet Financial Group CEO and President Michael Dubeck. “Farmlink is transforming our food system to reduce climate change while providing millions of meals to families in need.”

Since its start in 2020, The Farmlink Project has delivered meals to more than 50 million people and moved nearly 70 million pounds of food.

Planet employees will also contribute volunteer hours to Farmlink initiatives in Irving, Texas; Meriden, Conn.; Columbia, Md.; and Rochester, N.Y.

“Every year, billions of pounds of produce go to waste while millions of Americans go hungry,” said Farmlink Project CEO James Kanoff. “We’re working to change that.”

Annually, the U.S. wastes 31% of food produced, which could help feed families, but instead goes to landfills. Producing, transporting, preparing, storing and disposing of food also wastes land, water, labor and energy. Diverting produce from landfills prevents 17 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, decreasing the rate of human-caused climate change from our agricultural footprint, Farmlink estimates.