Shining A Light: The Story Behind ALAN’s Humanitarian Logistics Awards

Whoever said that “nice guys finish last,” clearly never heard of the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN).

“One of the most wonderful things about working in the disaster relief space is getting to witness amazing acts of kindness,” said ALAN Executive Director Kathy Fulton. “But one of the most frustrating is realizing that many of these acts, which are truly life-changing, go unrecognized, especially in the logistics industry.”

In 2017, ALAN (a non-profit organization that specializes in improving disaster relief outcomes by providing other non-profits with the donated logistics services they need before, during and after catastrophes) set out to rectify this by creating the Humanitarian Logistics Awards. 

“After 12 years of providing logistics-related disaster relief, we knew that many humanitarian efforts couldn’t happen – or happen as effectively – without the generosity of the commercial supply chain industry or the academics who contribute groundbreaking thought leadership to the industry. And we felt like this generosity deserved to be recognized in a significant way,” Fulton said.

During the Humanitarian Logistics Awards’ earliest years, many honorees came from ALAN’s own in-kind donor base. Saddle Creek Logistics Services, for example, was recognized for helping ALAN provide donated medical supply shipments after a devastating earthquake in Ecuador. International Paper was recognized for donating tens of thousands of boxes that enabled ALAN to help several disaster relief organizations sort and distribute aid after disasters like Hurricane Matthew and wildfires in Tennessee. And Core-Mark International and the American Trucking Associations were honored for their donated transportation services and equipment that enabled ALAN to help several non-profits deliver and distribute food and PPE during the pandemic. 

However over time, as more people become aware of the awards and began submitting nominations, the winners’ circle expanded to include several organizations with little to no ALAN affiliation – including honorees like Flexport.org, which received a 2023 Humanitarian Logistics Award for delivering more than 74 million pounds of relief  supplies to more than 90 different countries and Hanken’s own Dr. Diego Vega, who was the recipient of the 2023 Humanitarian Logistics  Research And Academic Contribution Award.  

“Naturally we’re very proud of and thankful for all of our in-kind donors, and the many amazing things they’ve done,” said Fulton. “At the same time, our intention has always been for this award to celebrate all of the humanitarian work that’s being done in the logistics industry, not just work that’s being done through our organization.”

Today, ALAN’s Humanitarian Logistics Awards have helped shine a light on the extraordinary achievements of 41 selfless companies and individuals that have ranged in size from small, regional third-party logistics providers to large, multi-national corporations like Amazon and Home Depot – and whose humanitarian work has helped survivors of everything from Ebola outbreaks and earthquakes to hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. 

ALAN is looking to make that group even larger when it opens nominations for this year’s awards on May 1^st.     

Any philanthropically minded logistics company, logistics professional or logistics academic is eligible to win – as are companies with logistics departments that are engaged in charitable efforts.

“While we’re familiar with many of the ALAN-related philanthropic activities that have taken place in transportation and warehousing, there are many others that we won’t be aware of – and able to honor – unless people take the time to let us know about them,” Fulton added. “That’s why we’re encouraging everyone who knows of someone deserving to take the time to submit a nomination. We genuinely appreciate hearing about some of the other amazing work that’s being done and look forward to announcing our latest winners in October.” 

To make a nomination – including a self-nomination, go to ALAN’s website at https://www.alanaid.org/humanitarian-awards-nomination/ . And to read about more Humanitarian Logistics Award winners – and learn how Dr. Vega earned his, go to https://www.alanaid.org/humanitarian-logistics-awards/ .