On Friday, February 12, Terrell Haigler, also known as Ya Fav Trashman (YFT), collaborated with Sharing Excess for a Black History Month Food and Coat Drive in North Philadelphia. This was the fourth time the duo collaborated to meet the needs of Philadelphians during the pandemic. Their goal was to distribute 1,000 boxes of food and coats.
Founder of Sharing Excess Evan Ehlers said, “Even though it’s gotten colder, that hasn’t changed the need for us to be out here. We are so excited to host one of our biggest distributions to date in celebration of Black History Month and support the amazing people that make Philadelphia one of the greatest cities.”
The event was a grab-n-go style to ensure proper social distancing. Strict use of PPE and safety protocols for volunteers were also in place in an elevated effort to protect community health. Attendees were required to wear a mask.
Sharing Excess and Ya Fav Trashman believe that food should be free for every family to come together and share. The challenges of food insecurity have continued to spread during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these two partners are determined to bring joy and hope directly to the Philadelphia community through this event. “Now more than ever, we have to take care of our community. Millions of people are without jobs and can’t afford to buy food or coats. Some mornings, I wake up and the temperature outside is almost freezing. There are a lot of people who are on hard times and living on the streets. The least I can do is give them coats. My hope is to bring joy back into the community, to ignite hope and spread love,” Haigler said.
Who’s “Ya Fav Trashman?” Philly Community Servant Terrill Haigler, who as a sanitation worker, experienced what happens when we forget to support those who take care of our communities. Now, it has become his mission to bring back a collective sense of accountability for what happens in our neighborhoods. YFT is here to bring attention to the work that maintains life around our homes. Sharing Excess connects colleges and communities to reduce hunger and food waste. They believe that excess should be shared – not wasted. Their mission is to use 100% of healthy food excess in communities to increase prosperity for all. Sharing Excess’ network of college chapters and student employees have delivered more than 800,000 meals since launching in 2018, partnering with companies like Saxbys, ShopRite, Wawa, Snap Kitchen, Trader Joe’s, and more to reduce food waste, support the community, and save businesses money at the same time.
