Seasoning producer Simply Organic revealed today the five recipients of the Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant Program. The companies will receive a collective $150,000 to address food insecurity in their communities this year.
The organizations have programs designed to tackle ongoing gaps in the food assistance system, including poor nutrition, insufficient access, social stigma, lack of choice, or lifestyle fit.
"Increasing access to healthy foods plays naturally into Simply Organic's core values as an all-organic spice brand," said Sheryl Marchetti, senior director of marketing for Simply Organic, in a statement. "We look forward to partnering with organizations who are pushing for more creative approaches to addressing food insecurity, going beyond typical solutions to better answer their communities' health and cultural needs."
The grants will be distributed as follows:
• Dion's Chicago Dream will receive a $40,000 grant to continue to expand its award-winning Dream Deliveries program, which brings a five-day supply of pre-measured produce directly to residents and helps reduce food waste in the process.
• Emergency Food Network's Mother Earth Farm will receive a $15,000 grant to continue growing a diverse selection of fresh, culturally significant food.
• Matthew 25's Groundswell Cafe is a "pay-it-forward" eatery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It will receive a $15,000 grant to support the cafe's pay-it-forward initiative as well as healthy grab-n-go meals that can be purchased at an affordable price from its Cultivate Hope Corner Store.
• Project Worthmore's Delaney Community Farm supports Denver-area refugees through sustainable agriculture training, education, and employment. It will receive a $50,000 grant to expand operations at the DeLaney Community Farm and the Yu Meh Food Share Program to bring healthy, fresh foods to even more families.
• Sharing Excess is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between food surplus and food scarcity. It will receive a $30,000 grant to open a second Wholesale Food Rescue program at Hunts Point Produce Market in New York City.
"Simply Organic's continued commitment to supporting Dion's Chicago Dream and other nonprofits across the country helps us reimagine food and nutrition philanthropy and meet critical needs of the communities we serve," said Dion Dawson, chief dreamer and founder of Dion's Chicago Dream, in a statement.
Established in 2001, the Simply Organic Giving Fund was originally organized to support organic agricultural development, and to date has given more than $2.5 million to projects around the globe.
Related: Instacart Partners With Retailers, Universities on Food Access; FDA, USDA Work to Improve Food System.