Hero Story

Hugh Mahler’s impact at Forgotten Harvest (FH)--one of the nation’s largest food rescue organizations--has been substantive, insightful, effective, long-lasting, caring, and respectful of every person he touches. Given his passion for community service, we are deeply honored that Hugh chooses to give such expansive, dedicated service to the people Forgotten Harvest serves, to each FH employee and volunteer with whom he interacts, to the employees and volunteers in our partner organizations, to the employees of FH’s food donor businesses, and to FH’s funders and other stakeholders.

Starting in 2015, Hugh volunteered initially in the heart of FH’s business: sorting donated produce and other foods into family-size packages for distribution to people facing hunger. Always with a positive attitude, he had his hands full while volunteering to assure that each recipient of FH’s nutritious food received food products repacked carefully using food-handling best practices. His hands-on work helped the people FH serves but also many other side-by-side volunteers and FH staff.

Hugh’s volunteer role expanded as he gained knowledge of FH’s work – as he “rode along” with FH’s drivers to pick up large quantities of donated food and to deliver that healthy food to FH’s partner agencies. Helping the agencies’ staff and volunteers as well as FH’s drivers, Hugh moved the food into pantries and helped to position the food for distribution to people facing need. Many of the volunteers at FH’s partner agencies are also recipients of the nutritious food, so Hugh listened and observed, and then considered and proposed ways that FH’s organization could continue to enhance its services. He also expanded his support to FH’s warehouse staff. All of his outreach done in the most thoughtful, respectful, and caring manner.

Hugh’s most recent volunteer project -- “Harvest Hero” – is a stellar example of his volunteer leadership and hands-on work to support our mission. In July 2019, Hugh joined Bob Parrish (another FH volunteer, who moved recently to SW MI) to propose and implement a new FH volunteer food rescue program. Working with FH’s operations team, he proposed that trained volunteer teams pick up donated nutritious food – food donated by food businesses yet in volumes that are “too small” for FH’s large commercial box trucks and tractor-trailers to recover yet still very meaningful – and important – to help support people facing hunger. The “Harvest Hero” volunteers pick up the food at food businesses and then deliver that nutritious donated food directly to designated partner agencies. FH’s staff helps with food safety training and identifying the food business donors. Hugh works with FH’s staff to manage the routes and to help recruit the volunteer teams – and they also rescue food in their own vehicles as hands-on “Harvest Heroes.” Since 2019, Harvest Hero has rescued and delivered 480,000 lbs. of nutritious food -- the equivalent of about 400,000 nutritious meals.

Finally, Hugh joined FH’s volunteer FH Board of Directors in 2019, where he now serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Governance & Nominating Committee.

By envisioning, leading, and working hands-on in FH’s food rescue and delivery operations and with FH’s various administrative teams, Hugh’s insights, leadership, and hands-on work make a difference every day for children, families, seniors, veterans, all people receiving support at the agencies we serve who are facing food insecurity. He brings his past business experience and effectiveness in the most humble, caring, insightful, and effective ways to support and provide inspiration and hands-on support to FH’s staff – all actions that benefit tens of thousands of people facing hunger. Hugh’s leadership during the pandemic has contributed significantly to community awareness and support of FH’s mission and effectiveness as the need rapidly escalated. Further, his positive and understated demeanor has reinforced FH’s staff leadership commitment to change and broaden its service during this pandemic-era that places professional and personal challenges on both staff and the communities FH serves.

To frame the context of Hugh’s work: Food insecurity disproportionately strikes underserved communities and compromises educational outcomes, job performance, and seniors’ health and cognition. Food insecurity is a major issue in SE MI’s urban, suburban, and rural communities; USDA estimates that nearly 12% of households in MI were food insecure over the 2018-2020 period.

Hugh’s inspiration is respected across the board, staff, and donors. His respectful and humble approach amplifies his effectiveness for all. Forgotten Harvest is deeply honored that Hugh devotes much of his volunteer time to FH’s mission and to the people we serve and the donors who help make FH’s service possible.

Hugh also volunteers in the following capacities:

Horizons-Upward Bound at Cranbrook Schools
Volunteer for over 30 years.
Served countless hours as an actively engaged Advisory Board member.

Detroit Cristo Rey High School
Volunteers about 10 hours per week performing maintenance and other onsite work at the School.

Challenge Detroit
Former Board member; actively engaged in all aspects of Board service.