Aidmatrix Uses Technology to Streamline Delivery of Humanitarian Aid; North Texas Food Bank is Planned Prototype Partner; i2, Sabre and Sun are Corporate Donors.Business Editors DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2001 The irony is unmistakable. Texas, a state that ranks second in the nation in farm production, also ranks second in number of hungry people. The irony is also maddening. Much of the food produced in Texas never reaches a consumer's table. Instead, it is delivered to landfills along with clothing, pharmaceuticals and building supplies -- all in good condition and safe to use. Food banks throughout the region and across America America [for Amerigo Vespucci], the lands of the Western Hemisphere—North America, Central (or Middle) America, and South America. The world map published in 1507 by Martin Waldseemüller is the first known cartographic use of the name. have committed themselves to gathering that food and delivering it to those in need. They make a huge impact -- this year alone the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB NTFB North Texas Food Bank NTFB Nepal Trust Fund for Biodiversity NTFB Non-Timber Forest Products NTFB Not Too Freaking Bad (polite form) NTFB National Transport Fund Board ) is on track to distribute 24 million pounds of food and grocery products through its nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. member agencies to people in need. Despite their efforts, people still remain hungry and food goes to waste. Aidmatrix The Aidmatrix Foundation, Inc., (Aidmatrix) is a hi-tech nonprofit 501 (c) (3). It focuses on delivering technology solutions to create a supply chain of donors and other non-profits in a virtual exchange marketplace for humanitarian aid including: disaster relief, medical relief, and aims to change that. Aidmatrix is a not-for-profit Not-for-profit An organization established for charitable, humanitarian, or educational purposes that is exempt from some taxes and in which no one in profits or losses. online network designed to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity. . The network works in partnership with corporate product donors, large not-for-profit organizations, transportation providers, and other business services firms to provide aid items such as food, clothing, and building supplies to people in need. Aidmatrix was founded in October October: see month. 2000 by the i2 Foundation. How does Aidmatrix work? It uses technology and partnerships with companies across the commercial and nonprofit sectors to better identify true needs, make allocations and transportation decisions, and move product to meet the true needs of its not-for-profit partners in a faster, more efficient manner. The NTFB is the prototype partner for Aidmatrix and has executed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. with Aidmatrix. The NTFB, which touches 10 million people in need every year through its 350 member agencies, was seeking a way to identify and receive more food and deliver it to more people in need in a more efficient, timely manner. In the event that definitive agreements are consummated con·sum·mate tr.v. con·sum·mat·ed, con·sum·mat·ing, con·sum·mates 1. a. To bring to completion or fruition; conclude: consummate a business transaction. b. , the NTFB and its member agencies will be able to use the Aidmatrix online network to reach that goal without adding staff or physical resources. "We are energized by the spirit of innovation that drives Aidmatrix," said Jan Pruitt, executive director, North Texas Food Bank. "How wonderful that commercial and nonprofit entities can use new technologies to fix an age-old age-old adj. Very old or of long standing. age-old Adjective very old; ancient Adj. 1. problem such as hunger. We are especially pleased by the number of North Texas companies that are joining us in the local launch. Our member agencies continue to see a dramatic increase in the number of people requesting food and without the Aidmatrix technology it would be very difficult for them to meet their needs." Aidmatrix intends to allow the 350 local agencies that work with the NTFB to shop online for food items, order food for their agencies to distribute, schedule food delivery and receive confirmation of when that food will be delivered. In addition, it intends to allow donors to alert the NTFB of items they have available and the NTFB to schedule pick-up pick-up Noun 1. a small truck with an open body used for light deliveries 2. Informal a casual acquaintance made for a sexual purpose 3. Informal a. or delivery of those items. Currently these types of transactions are taking place by fax, phone and manual processing. All that participants need to access the information through Aidmatrix is a computer, phone line and access to the Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the . "We envision Aidmatrix as a key component to our strategic mission of delivering more services to the people we currently serve, as well as expanding our reach to include even more people in need," said Pruitt. "We plan to take some of the best practices of the for-profit world and combine them with this cutting edge technology to streamline our processes and reduce inefficiencies in the delivery of humanitarian aid. The possibilities for this partnership are endless." Some Aidmatrix corporate technology donors include: -- i2 Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of supply chain and e-marketplace solutions. i2 is powering the Aidmatrix online network with its i2 TradeMatrix Solutions(TM) and providing consulting services for the technology implementation. -- Sabre, the leading provider of technology and marketing services for the travel industry. Sabre is providing all necessary hosting support. -- Sun Microsystems, a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet. Sun is providing the servers for the NTFB prototype project. "I am thrilled thrill v. thrilled, thrill·ing, thrills v.tr. 1. To cause to feel a sudden intense sensation; excite greatly. 2. To give great pleasure to; delight. See Synonyms at enrapture. at the response Aidmatrix has received from the North Texas business community. These visionary 1. visionary - One who hacks vision, in the sense of an Artificial Intelligence researcher working on the problem of getting computers to "see" things using TV cameras. (There isn't any problem in sending information from a TV camera to a computer. companies understand the potential of our partnership network to dramatically improve the quality of life and survival rates of people in need, and are committed to helping us to achieve our goal of touching 50 million lives by 2005," said Kristy Dooley, executive director, Aidmatrix. "Additionally the North Texas Food Bank would be the perfect partner for our prototype, as they are respected throughout the region for their commitment to eliminating hunger." About Aidmatrix Launched by The i2 Foundation, Aidmatrix is a not-for-profit online network designed to help streamline the delivery of humanitarian aid. With world-class technology, Aidmatrix will provide the information, decision support, and collaboration Working together on a project. See collaborative software. environment for partners to more effectively provide food, clothing, building supplies and other aid items to people in need. Partner organizations include the world's leading suppliers, manufacturers and distributors of aid items, major non-profit organizations A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. , independent transportation providers and freight e-marketplaces, technology providers, and other industry leaders and organizations. Aidmatrix has set a goal to touch 50 million lives by 2005. Based in Dallas, Aidmatrix is supported by donations of cash and in-kind services. Visit Aidmatrix at www.Aidmatrix.org. About The i2 Foundation The i2 Foundation was formed in 1997 by the employees of i2 Technologies, Inc. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting advancements in education, technology, environmental practices, medicine and economic opportunity through programs that improve quality of life and create a healthier society. Since its first full year of grant-making (1999), the i2 Foundation funded programs for 350,000 people in 11 countries over five continents. More information about the i2 Foundation can be found at www.i2foundation.org. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion