Newman's Own Foundation Awards $2 Million for Nutrition Initiatives
The Newman's Own Foundation in Westport, Connecticut, has announced grants totaling $2 million in support of nutrition initiatives across the country.
Awards were made in support of nutrition education, gardening, healthy diets, food rescue, and access to fresh fruits and vegetables in underserved communities, with more than $1 million dedicated to grassroots organizations working to create impact at the local level. Grant recipients include Edible Schoolyard New York in Brooklyn; Wholesome Wave in Bridgeport, Connecticut; Grow Dat Youth Farm in New Orleans; and Appetite for Change in Minneapolis.
In addition, the foundation awarded a total of $750,000 to organizations working to provide access to fresh food and nutrition education in Native American communities, where food insecurity often is an acute problem. The nine nonprofits comprising the foundation's 2019 Native American Nutrition Cohort employ a peer-learning model in which they share experiences, build relationships, and collaborate to address and solve nutrition-related challenges. Grant recipients include the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation in Porcupine, South Dakota, which works to boost local access to healthy food options and operates a demonstration farm on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; the American Indian Cancer Foundation in Minneapolis, which will use the grant to expand a program that provides support for sustainable, nutrition-related change; and Running Strong for Native American Youth in Alexandria, Virginia, in support of the organization's medicine root gardening program.
"Nutrition is a fundamental need that is often taken for granted but severely neglected in many communities due to various circumstances," said Newman's Own Foundation interim president Jennifer Smith Turner. "There are many nonprofits working hard to assist children and families with nutritional training and offering programs that provide healthier food through affordable access, and we applaud their efforts."
