Halpern Appointed to Second Helpings Board
Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit food rescue logistics organization dedicated to reducing hunger and food waste in the metro Atlanta area.
Ben Halpern, executive vice president of Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors, has recently been appointed as a Second Helpings Atlanta Board of Director member devoted to serving food challenged communities.
As a father-and-son family business offering valued food service and home delivery customers with the highest quality meat, seafood, and specialty products, Ben understands what it means to be driven and work hard. He oversees a wide range of business operations at their award-winning business, which has repeatedly been voted a best place to work and one of Georgia’s 40 fastest-growing companies named by The Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).
According to Paul Clements, director of Second Helpings, “We are thrilled to welcome Ben Halpern to the Second Helpings Atlanta Board of Directors. Over the past few months, Ben has spent considerable time getting to know our organization, our mission, and our dedicated staff. As the executive vice president of Farmers & Fishermen, he brings a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the food industry and supply chain logistics—both of which are core to SHA’s model. His commitment to reducing food waste and hunger aligns perfectly with our mission. We look forward to leveraging his expertise to further our impact and continue serving our community more effectively.”
Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit food rescue logistics organization dedicated to reducing hunger and food waste in the metro Atlanta area by rescuing healthy, nutritious, surplus food and distributing it to those in need. A valued non-profit, Second Helpings, a 501(c)(3), has the support of 994 dedicated volunteers and distributed a record-breaking 5.8 million pounds of food — equivalent to more than 4.8 million meals to a network of more than 100 nonprofit partner agencies who are providing food to families in need throughout the Atlanta metro.
Ben Halpern commented, “I am so honored to be asked to join Second Helpings Atlanta, who is now celebrating their 20th year of service, providing free groceries, produce and meals to those experiencing food insecurity. Their mission is to eliminate hunger and food waste in metro Atlanta by rescuing surplus food and delivering it to those in need. That resonates deeply with Farmers & Fishermen’s dedication to the community at-large who are food-challenged. My father, Kirk Halpern, has always been my role model and taught me my entire life the importance of service to others. He has spent his entire career making a difference and the value of sharing one’s business skills and success to help others grow is a core value.”
Ben continued, “As I learned more about Second Helpings and experiencing what they do, it was a meaningful fit to see how our food industry contacts, and our company could help support and connect them. Together we grow when we combine our knowledge, time and resources, and I am excited to bring my volunteer efforts to such a worthwhile cause.”
Impacting change for the better is a core value of Farmers & Fishermen. Ben is learning from his father, a highly regarded food industry expert who is deeply concerned about impacting change to serve others. Kirk Halpern has been highly recognized by the business community nationally and named one of the “Most Admired CEOs” by The Atlanta Business Chronicle with multiple awards and recognition.
He shared, “Farmers & Fishermen is extremely proud of Ben as is our family for his non-stop dedication to providing his skills and resources to help others. He has demonstrated at an early age an interest in understanding the real needs of a community, earned his achievements with hard work and cares deeply about applying his knowledge to help others.”
When Ben learned about Second Helpings, he did a deep dive into the importance of the non-profit’s model which collects fresh surplus food from local businesses, taking in donations from grocery stores, restaurants, corporate kitchens and other venues. Then, they match food donations with nonprofit recipients, and deploy volunteers to make daily deliveries across the metro region. This year, Second Helpings Atlanta will rescue and redistribute four million pounds of food, resulting in 3.3 million meals being provided.
According to Second Helpings, “Today in Atlanta, one in nine people, including one in seven children, are food insecure. These individuals lack reliable access to enough food to stay healthy, and don’t know where their next meal will come from. Food insecurity is a threat to public health, as it is linked with poor nutrition, chronic illness, depression and anxiety. These outcomes are unacceptable, especially when you consider that up to 40 percent of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten, resulting in wasted resources and wasted opportunities to feed families.”
When Farmers & Fishermen launched in 2019, the company faced the most challenging time in the food industry. Farmers & Fishermen pivoted during the pandemic and helped lift other businesses along the way. Overnight, Kirk Halpern shifted their focus from restaurant delivery to save their employees jobs, furloughed no one, hired his employee’s family and Ben learned the business at record speed.
Now, Ben Halpern, young and ready, is prepared as a dedicated volunteer, and has received additional praise for his leadership skills. He was awarded “The 40 under 40 Award” by The Gwinnett Chamber, as well as recognized by the Atlanta Jewish Times for his business acumen and community service. Ben also serves as a member of the board of trustees for Temple Emanu-El helping to focus attention and efforts on inclusion. As a driven graduate from Tulane University with a double major in business management and marketing, he hopes to make a significant difference with his role at Second Helpings.
For more information, visit www.SecondHelpingsAtlanta.org or follow on Facebook and Instagram and www.farmersandfishermen.com.
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