Dr. Jarrod Goentzel, MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, and Principal Research Scientist at MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, receives 2024 honor.
Lakeland, Fla. – The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) today announced the 2024 winners of its Humanitarian Logistics Awards.
“It’s a significant honor to recognize the organizations and individuals actively working to make a difference in the disaster relief and humanitarian space,” said ALAN Executive Director Kathy Fulton. “Recipients have donated their time, resources, equipment, and expertise to help recovery across a myriad of disasters, including Hurricanes Beryl, Idalia and Ida, tornadoes across the Midwest, wildfires in Texas, and COVID-19. We’re continuously inspired by their passion and applaud the supply chain industry for its commitment to giving back.”
This year’s recipients include:
- Niagara Cares, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution To Disaster Relief Award
- Southwest ToyotaLift, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution To Disaster Relief Award
- Hy-Vee, Inc., which received ALAN’s Employee Engagement Award
- Jarrod Goentzel, Ph.D., Director and Founder of the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab and Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, who received ALAN’s Research And Academic Contribution Award
Niagara Cares was honored for donating and helping to distribute more than 700,000 bottles (350 pallets) of water to organizations that were aiding communities affected by disaster. Niagara’s pallet donations have supported survivors recovering from the pipe bursts in Jackson, MS, the Smokehouse Creek Wildfires, tornadoes across the Midwest and Louisiana, flooding in Houston, water disparity in Missouri, and Hurricane Beryl.
Southwest ToyotaLift merited its award for donating approximately $90,000 worth of material handling equipment to the Red Cross and Volunteers for Public Service to help maximize and expand those organizations’ disaster relief and humanitarian efforts.
Hy-Vee, Inc. was honored for its disaster relief efforts, which have brought together employee volunteers from across the company to help support communities in need — both within its Midwest trade territory and beyond. In 2023, the team helped Operation BBQ Relief distribute 90,000 meals to Hurricane Idalia survivors, and this year, provided water, food and cleanup support after tornado damage in Greenfield, Iowa. Utilizing its Disaster Relief Fleet, Hy-Vee’s team has helped more than 40 communities across the U.S. since 2021.
Dr. Jarrod Goentzel was lauded for his founding of MIT’s Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, where he currently serves as director. His research and mentorship directly engage private sector, government agencies, humanitarian, international development, and community organizations on several continents to improve disaster relief operations and aid vulnerable populations affected by catastrophic events, geopolitical conflict, and pandemics. He is also a founding member of the Supply Chain Analysis Network (SCAN), which fosters cross-sector collaborative learning to restore pre-existing supply chains following disaster.
“These outstanding honorees are exemplary models of what it means to uplift one’s community and the overall humanitarian ecosystem,” Fulton said. “We are so happy to spotlight their efforts – and proud they’re leading the way for our industry to help disaster survivors in their own backyards and around the world.”
About The Humanitarian Logistics Awards: Established in 2017, ALAN’s Humanitarian Logistics Awards recognize companies and individuals who exemplify the best that the supply chain has to offer by assuring that aid is rapidly delivered to communities in crisis. Presented annually, they are open to any logistics professional, organization or department. For a complete list of previous winners, visit ALAN’s website at https://www.alanaid.org/humanitarian-logistics-awards-previous-winners/.
About ALAN: Founded in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, ALAN is a philanthropic, industry-wide organization that provides free logistics assistance to disaster relief organizations before, during and after catastrophic events. It does this by bringing the expertise and resources of the logistics industry together with humanitarian organizations so that help can arrive sooner, and each relief dollar can be maximized. Over the years it has coordinated compassionate supply chain services for disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods. To learn more visit http://www.alanaid.org.
For further information, contact Emilee Martichenko at emilee@alanaid.org.