The Junkluggers of the Coastal Empire, Savannah’s eco-friendly and caring alternative to traditional junk removal, has partnered with Benedictine Military School for the school’s annual holiday food drive to benefit America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank.

“We chose this as The Junkluggers’ first official charity event because we are drawn to the synergy between organizations with the same purpose – helping those in the community,” said Trevor Hess, owner and president of the local franchise. “Our family has participated with and volunteers for Second Harvest, and it’s a charity we believe in. We also have two children currently attending Benedictine and are proud supporters of the school’s mission to prepare young men from diverse backgrounds for life through a quality academic program and by supporting a deeper commitment to their faith.”

During November, Hess and his wife, Misty, who is also his business partner, will be asking customers to participate by donating non-perishable foods at the time of service. They hope to match both monetary and food donations collected by the students, with the goal of raising $2,400 and collecting 15,000 food items.

The Junkluggers will then assist the students in delivering the donations to the Second Harvest food bank on Dec. 8. The warehouse and distribution center serves more than 300 non-profit and faith-based agencies throughout 21 counties in Coastal Georgia.

“The food bank distributes more than 12 million pounds of food throughout Coastal Georgia to help relieve hunger each year,” Hess said. “Not only does this help families in need, but it also rescues truckloads of food that retail businesses might otherwise discard into the waste stream.”

It is estimated that food procured by Second Harvest represents a savings of greater than $19 million dollars in food costs for its partner agencies, which allows them to provide other services to those in need.

“Our mission is similarly aligned to the food bank’s in that we believe in donating first, recycling next and avoiding landfills as much as possible," Hess said. “As an eco-friendly, caring alternative to traditional junk removal, our goal is to protect the community we live in by sorting everything we put on the truck for donations, recycling and disposal, with the landfill always being the last stop for any items removed.”