The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has announced the list of worthy individuals and businesses to receive its 2025 Humanitarian Logistics Awards.

ALAN was founded in 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It is an industry-wide, philanthropic organisation which provides free logistics assistance to disaster relief organisations before, during and after catastrophic events and natural disasters.

Its annual awards, founded in 2017, “exemplify the best that the supply chain has to offer by assuring that aid is rapidly delivered to communities in crisis,” the organisation states.

ALAN executive director, Kathy Fulton, explains that in the 20 years of the organisation’s history, “we’ve often said that when bad things happen, good people show up”. 

“That’s what these awards are all about,” Fulton continues. “Throughout the years and over the course of many disasters, all of our award recipients have repeatedly stepped up to help without ever asking what’s in it for them – and truly gone above and beyond to assist disaster survivors.”

Over the past two decades, ALAN has served more than 300 non-profit organisations across more than 100 disasters, delivering free logistics services, equipment and expertise, valued at millions of dollars.

The recipients of the 2025 ALAN Humanitarian Logistics Awards are:

• Continental Logistics, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution To Disaster Relief Award
• Fleet Advantage, which received ALAN’s Employee Engagement Award
• Niagara Cares, which received ALAN’s Employee Engagement Award
• Partners Warehouse, a Flex Logistics company, which received ALAN’s Outstanding Contribution To Disaster Relief Award
• Dr. Burcu Balçik of Ozyegin University, who received ALAN’s Research And Academic Contributions Award
• ALAN’s founders, who received ALAN’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The seven individuals and nine professional organisations which came together to form ALAN were: Jock Menzies, Mark Richards, Richard Sharpe, Michael Gardner, Bob Shannaussey, Cheryl Harrity, Gene Klein, International Warehouse Logistics Association, Council Of Supply Chain Management Professionals, American Frozen Food Institute, International Association of Refrigerated Professionals (now the Global Cold Chain Alliance), MHI, Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association, Warehouse Education Research Council, Grocery Manufacturers Association (now Consumer Brands Association, and America’s Second Harvest (now Feeding America).

ALAN says Continental Logistics earned its award for providing $11,000 worth of the pro bono transportation that was needed to deliver donated goods to numerous food banks, community centres and other humanitarian organisations that served more than 173,000 individuals after Hurricane Helene, the Los Angeles wildfires and other disasters.

Fleet Advantage was honoured for the charitable work of its employees through its Kids Around The Corner Foundation, which served 51 non-profit organisations and helped with relief efforts after disasters such as Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton during 2024. Throughout the year, the company hosted eight volunteer events, making it possible for its personnel to directly help the communities where they live and work. 

Niagara Cares received its award for mobilising hundreds of its employees to support relief efforts in California’s Palisades and Altadena areas after the Los Angeles wildfires, including assembling care packages for first responders; creating hygiene and care kits for displaced residents; and painting murals, building learning gardens and planting trees to restore a sense of hope and re-beautify areas that were damaged by the fires.

Partners Warehouse, a Flex Logistics company, was honoured for providing ALAN with the donated long-term warehousing space and logistics support it needed to accept the largest material equipment donation in its history – 80 pallet jacks. These jacks, which ALAN has been using to assist non-profits with their Hurricane Helene, Arkansas Tornado and other relief efforts, have already enabled these humanitarian organisations to serve more than 700,000 individuals in need.

Dr Balçkik was lauded for her pioneering work in data-driven decision-making during the preparedness, response and recovery phases of humanitarian operations. Her research in areas such as stock pre-positioning, last-mile aid planning, supplier framework agreements and needs assessment planning as well as her collaboration with researchers from around the world have led to many tangible gains in disaster preparedness, coordination and fairness.

“Each of these recipients exemplifies what selfless logistics is all about – all while reminding us of the incredible good the supply chain community can do,” Fulton adds. “We’re thankful for their generosity, inspired by their example, and honoured to give them the recognition they so deeply deserve.”