Whole Foods Market Goes the EV Route With Food Rescue Vans

Retailer donates 1st electric-powered vehicle to nonprofit group in Austin

3/4/2025

Food donation vans have become an important part of Whole Foods Market's Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program.

Whole Foods Market is bringing a different kind of energy to its community outreach efforts. The retailer’s first-ever electric food rescue vehicle is rolling out in its corporate hometown of Austin, Texas.

Whole Foods donated the e-transit van to The Johnson Center, a nonprofit group that collects donations from two local stores and distributes items to families in need. According to the retailer, all new vans provided through its Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program will be electric, equipped with Level 2 charging stations.

The shift to electric-powered vehicles reflects Whole Foods’ simultaneous focus on reducing food waste, improving food access and lowering emissions. The addition is an expansion of the Nourishing our Neighborhoods Program that has given 60 refrigerated vans to food rescue organizations across the United States and Canada.

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The Johnson Group welcomed the donation as it works to provide greater access to fresh, healthy food to children, families and high-needs individuals. “With the increasing cost of food, nutritious meals can be hard to come by for many in our community,” said Kelly Barnhill, the center’s clinical director. “Whole Foods Market’s support helps us provide this invaluable resource to our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Whole Foods continues to make strides in its corporate responsibility initiatives. According to the latest Impact Report released in 2024, the company donated more than 28 million meals to nearly 1,000 unique food rescue and distribution programs and kept nearly 70% of all store and operational waste out of landfills.

Part of Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Market serves customers in more than 530 stores across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Parent company Amazon is No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Both Whole Foods and Amazon were named among PG’s Retailers of the Century.