A community-based nonprofit is trying to change the lack of grocery stores in Anacostia by opening the Marion Barry Avenue Market & Cafe, a small grocery store and café to serve the area.
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New grocery opens in Anacostia, providing more food options for Ward 8 residents
One of the main concerns of residents who live in D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood is the lack of grocery stores. Now, a community-based nonprofit is trying to change that by opening a small grocery store and cafe to serve the area last week.
The new store is called the Marion Barry Avenue Market & Cafe named after the former mayor who lived nearby. It’s 4,500 square feet and it’s part grocery store, part kitchen and part restaurant.
Founder and Executive Director Christopher Bradshaw said the nonprofit running the market is trying to solve some long-standing challenges in Ward 8 when it comes to providing high-quality food choices to residents.
“We’re trying to make sure that the community here in Anacostia in Ward 8, east of the river and beyond, has access to healthy food and economic opportunity,” Bradshaw said. “Despite our small footprint, we have more than 900 different items here, so there’s a lot of choice.”
He said the market “can’t compete with those big box retailers, but we’re certainly more than the convenience store, and we certainly have a culture that speaks to our community more than any of those other options.”
The Marion Barry Avenue Market & Cafe is an initiative of Dreaming Out Loud, a nonprofit that is dedicated to rebuilding urban community-based food systems. The organization is supported by investments from both public and private partners, including the Longer Tables Fund founded by Chef José Andrés, and Mayor Muriel Bowser through the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development’s Food Access Fund.
People entering the market will find the shelves are packed with a wide variety of competitively-priced, locally-grown vegetables and fruits. The market works with regional farms and urban growers offering items at prices that are accessible, including sliding-scale and voucher-friendly options.
Store employee Miss Que is a Ward 8 resident.
“There’s only one grocery store up on the top of the corner. It’s not enough grocery options for us, and I feel like everywhere else has it. Why not here?” she said.
Bradshaw added that if this market is successful, they’d like to add at least two or three more similar stores in the coming years.
“Our goals are really to bring more people in … and be able to replicate and make it happen across Ward 7 and Ward 8 in particular, so that we’re closing the grocery gap with community ownership and control,” he said.
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A growing number of people are experiencing food insecurity in the D.C. area, according to the Capital Area Food Bank’s annual Hunger Report released Thursday.
The D.C. region has seen a big increase in job losses thanks to federal cuts, but even those who have a job haven’t seen their wages keep up with inflation.
And now there are fears that further cuts to the social safety net will only increase what’s already a growing number of people going hungry in the D.C. region.
The Capital Area Food Bank put out its annual Hunger Report on Thursday and the stats paint a disconcerting picture, with reasons to think what’s already a bad situation could get worse. And it comes with a warning, if not a plea, for already strapped local governments to be ready to offer help in the future.
“After a large jump in 2024, food insecurity remains at troublingly elevated levels,” said Sabrina Tadele, director of strategic initiatives with Capital Area Food Bank. “Specifically, 36% of households in the DMV are now experiencing food insecurity.”
The numbers span from one in five households in Arlington, Virginia, to as many as about half of all households in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The numbers are essentially the same as last year when factoring the margin of error, but 4% higher compared to 2023.
In addition, when the survey was done in May, it found 41% of those who lost their jobs during the federal purging of jobs and contracting positions were dealing with some level of food insecurity. Those behind the survey said they believe that number has changed in the past four months.
The findings come at a time when wage growth has lagged inflation to a significant degree around the region.
“Forty percent of adults, that’s up from 35% last year, said they were in a worse financial position than they were the year prior,” said Hilary Salmon, the food bank’s marketing director. “That means that household purchasing power has taken a major hit, especially for low income families. The dollars simply aren’t stretching as far.”
The food bank’s CEO, Radha Muthiah, said hunger continues to be a persistent problem around the D.C. area.
“We’re likely to have to increase the amount of food that we distribute by a good five to 10 million meals a year,” she said.
CLICK TO ENLARGE: A chart showing food secure adults in the D.C. region. (WTOP/John Domen)
Meeting that number will be difficult.
“Given that we have a retraction in the level of federally provided benefits through SNAP and Medicaid and through sources of food that we may receive … we’re going to have to increase our purchasing of food to be able to meet the needs of our community,” she said.
Muthiah said the food bank will lean on local governments to keep people on government assistance and help the food bank distribute those meals.
The survey found that minorities, women, people responsible for children, and people who work multiple jobs are more likely to be considered food insecure, which is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Food insecurity has already led many to dip into their savings to make ends meet, make only minimum payments on credit cards, and put off saving for the future, either with retirement or college savings accounts. In fact, credit card delinquencies are up 25 to 50% around the region, varying by county.
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DENVER — As part of our 7 Days To Help End Hunger campaign, Denver7 is highlighting the Food Bank of the Rockies’ program that ensures older adults in Colorado are fed.
The Food Bank of the Rockies is battling an increase in demand due to the high cost of living and reduced federal support. Denver7 is stepping up to help our neighbors facing food insecurity with our 7 Days to Help End Hunger campaign.
Denver7 is teaming up with Food Bank of the Rockies and CommonSpirit to take action on this issue – and we need your help. From Sept. 22-28, this week-long campaign will raise crucial funds to address food insecurity in our state.
Click here and select ‘7 Days to Help End Hunger’ to donate today.
Through the Everyday Eats program, older Coloradans in need receive food boxes with nutritious items to support them throughout the month. The program is in partnership with the state’s Department of Human Services.
Participants must be 60 years old or older and must meet certain income requirements.
Colorado Department of Human Services
“About 15 to 16% of all of our Everyday Eats program is delivered to people’s homes, and the reason for that is we have a lot of neighbors who face transportation challenges,” said Monica Buhlig, chief impact officer at Food Bank of the Rockies. “They aren’t able to get out of their house because of medical issues, or they may not feel comfortable going out into the community.”
Buhlig said 6,100 neighbors are supported each month through the Everyday Eats program, and volunteers are “instrumental” in packing and dropping off boxes.
Maggy Wolanske
“Our goal is to remove all barriers to people who are aging in our communities to receive the food that they need and the food that they deserve,” Buhlig said.
Volunteer Bruce Parker said he drops off anywhere between nine to 13 boxes and sees how thankful people are for the extra food. He also shared his own personal connection, which makes volunteering even more meaningful.
“When I first came to Denver, I lost 20 pounds in three months because of my need of food, so I know how it is,” said Parker. “Now, I’m very fortunate, and I don’t need that assistance, and so I know exactly what they’re going through, and so it just fills my heart when you can see how thankful they are for what you do.”
Maggy Wolanske
From 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Denver7 will be holding a call center in order to collect donations toward ending hunger. To donate, simply call 303-777-7492 between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25.
“Now more than ever, it takes Coloradans coming together to care for people who are aging in our communities,” said Buhlig. “We are so thankful to be able to team up with Denver7 as part of the 7 Days to Help End Hunger, to bring people together so that we can nourish our communities.”
7 Days to Help End Hunger is sponsored by CommonSpirit.
You can donate to our 7 Days to Help End Hunger campaign using the secure form below. Select “7 Days to Help End Hunger” from the drop-down menu.
Millions of people who receive food stamps could soon see smaller benefits or even get kicked out of the program due to changes that are starting to roll out from the Republicans’ “big, beautiful” tax and spending law, according to several analyses from the federal government and public policy think tanks.
About 2.4 million people, or about 6% of enrollees, could lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), in an average month, because of the new law’s changes, which include stricter work requirements, the Congressional Budget Office estimated last month.
Millions more will see their monthly benefit amounts shrink because of other changes mandated by the law, such as a new restrictions on how an individual’s benefits are calculated, it added. The total pool of people who will either be cut off from SNAP or see smaller monthly benefits could reach 22.3 million U.S. families, according to a July analysis from the Urban Institute.
About 42 million individuals in 22.3 million households received food stamps in 2023, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the program.
While SNAP is funded by the USDA, every U.S. state is in charge of administering the program to its residents, with those administrative costs split between the federal and state governments. Some states are already beginning to implement some of the new law’s food stamp restrictions, such as Pennsylvania, which is mandating the stricter work rules starting Nov. 1.
The changes are arriving at a precarious time for many, with grocery costs continuing to rise and poverty rates inching higher for senior citizens and Black Americans, according to new Census data. Anti-hunger advocates warn that reduced SNAP benefits could worsen food insecurity, undermining one of the nation’s most effective safety nets credited with lifting 3.6 million people out of poverty last year, according to U.S. Census data.
“We are deeply concerned that the cuts to SNAP will lead to an increase in hunger,” Carolyn Vega, associate director of policy analysis for Share Our Strength, an anti-hunger nonprofit, told CBS MoneyWatch. “You are looking at households that don’t have a lot of extra wiggle room in their budget, so that makes every SNAP dollar very precious in extending that food budget.”
Tracking the impact of those SNAP cuts on food insecurity as the changes unfurl over the coming months and years may be difficult, given the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sept. 20 announcement that it is halting its annual Household Food Security Report, which measures whether American families have access to healthy food.
The USDA said it is nixing the report because it is “redundant, costly, politicized and extraneous” and leads to “fear mongering.” But anti-hunger advocates say scrapping the report could ultimately obscure the impact of the Republicans’ cuts to the food stamp program.
“I don’t see how it’s redundant — the USDA puts out the only report on food insecurity,” Vega said. “It just indicates to me that they don’t want to see the results of the reconciliation bill,” referring to the Republican’s “big, beautiful” tax and spending law.
The USDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about that claim.
New work requirements
New work requirements for SNAP recipients are taking effect as the labor market stalls, raising the risk that more people could lose access to food stamps under the stricter rules mandated by the Republican law, advocates say.
“It’s a tough workforce right now, and the work requirements come without any support,” Gina Plata-Nino, a food stamp expert at the anti-hunger advocacy group Food Research & Action Center, told CBS MoneyWatch. “Our most vulnerable will have even less access to resources.”
The new work rules expand what the federal government considers so-called “able-bodied adults without dependents,” or ABAWDs, who are adults without young children who must prove they are either working, volunteering or engaged in an education or training program for at least 20 hours a week to qualify for food stamps.
Previously, the work requirements only applied to people between 18 to 54 years old, but the new law pushes that to age 64. Additionally, people who are former foster youth between 18 to 24 years old, veterans or homeless are no longer exempt from the work requirements, as they were previously.
People who don’t meet the work requirements will be limited to receiving food stamps for three months within a three-year period.
“Just off the bat, those are veterans, youths aging out of foster care — think about what it means to be unhoused, trying to get a job when you don’t have a place to shower,” Plata-Nino said. “Again, these populations are going to be worse off.”
Work requirements have been championed by Republican lawmakers because they say the rules encourage people to be gainfully employed or engaged in the community in exchange for food aid.
But anti-hunger advocates argue the rules often bump people off the program because they may face difficulties in filing paperwork. Others point out that low-income workers may struggle to get enough hours from their employers to meet the new federal requirements, especially given the proliferation of “just in time” scheduling, which slots workers into short shifts to reduce costs for employers.
Prior to the changes, most SNAP recipients who were required to work were doing so, according to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
Stricter aid calculations
Under the new GOP tax and spending law, there are other changes going into the SNAP program that could reduce benefits for millions.
For instance, SNAP applicants can deduct their utility costs from their incomes when calculating their benefits, which can help to increase their food-stamp allotments. But the new law now prevents food-stamp recipients from counting internet expenses as part of their household costs when determining benefits. That change went into effect as soon as the law was signed on July 4 by President Trump.
“Roughly 65% of participating households will see their benefit drop by an average of $10 a month” because of the exclusion in using internet costs to calculate benefits, Vega said.
“It’s a relatively small amount but for a household facing rising grocery cost and facing tough decisions, $10 can make a difference,” she added.
Longer-term, there are additional changes that could strain states’ ability to provide food stamps, such as a shift in fiscal year 2027 requiring that states cover 75% of administrative costs, up from 50% now. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, states with high error rates — such as over- and underpayments of SNAP benefits — will also need to provide more funding for the program, starting in 2028.
One concern, according to Vega, is whether states will have the financial resources to cover those additional costs.
“It’s uncharted territory,” she said. “We do worry some states might decide they can’t take that level of liability and won’t participate in SNAP.”
Aimee Picchi is the associate managing editor for CBS MoneyWatch, where she covers business and personal finance. She previously worked at Bloomberg News and has written for national news outlets including USA Today and Consumer Reports.
(Reuters) -The Trump administration has canceled the USDA’s annual food insecurity survey, ending a decades-long effort to track how many Americans struggle to access enough food, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the report had become “overly politicized” and was no longer necessary, though the 2024 edition will still be released in October; the 2025 survey will not be conducted, the Journal added, citing a USDA spokesperson.
The report added that the cancellation comes amid rising food insecurity and recent cuts to federal food assistance programs, including tighter work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.
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The White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
(Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
In St. Paul, Minnesota, hundreds of volunteers are packing meals for those in need.
This is the fourth year volunteers are packing meals in observance of 9/11. This year, there are more than 500 volunteers packing nearly 200,000 meals for those in need.
The healthy, non-perishable meals will then go to Second Harvest Heartland before being sent out to Twin Cities food shelves and meal programs.
The volunteers at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul are packing taco macaroni, and it’s set to hit the tables of families in a day or two.
According to Feeding America, 47 million Americans face food insecurity.
Maddie Archbold with Second Harvest Heartland says in Minnesota, the need is the most it’s been in years.
“People are usually surprised to hear us say that the need is actually higher today than it has been in decades,” Archbold said. “We’re seeing that one in five Minnesota households is currently without the food they need to thrive and many of them are having to turn to external supports like their local food shelf or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in order to feed their families.”
September is Hunger Action Month. Second Harvest invites the public to volunteer at a local food shelf or food bank.
Las Vegas — Army veteran Earvin James Sr. never pictured himself in a Las Vegas food pantry. But with a fixed income and rising grocery prices, he had no choice.
“Because you go to these stores now, a pack of toilet tissue costs you $8, and it used to be $5 for a 12-pack,” James told CBS News. “Everything is going up in this country except helping out the senior citizens.”
Most of the food at the Helping Hands of Vegas Valley food pantry comes from the Three Square food bank, a nonprofit that supplies nearly every major food pantry in Southern Nevada.
“We’re already hearing from our partners that they’re feeling the strain of rising demand, more people coming in the door needing help,” said Beth Martino, president and CEO of Three Square.
President Trump’s recently passed tax and spending plan, the “big, beautiful bill,” significantly changes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.
States will pick up much more of the SNAP costs, and there are new, stricter requirements for recipients.
“In a state like Nevada, we have very few options to raise more revenue to meet the financial demands of a program like SNAP and Medicaid,” Martino said. “So the future for a lot of those people is very uncertain.”
The warehouse at Three Square felt the pinch in June when it had to contend with smaller food pallets.
“We were facing a real crisis with not having enough food on our shelves to meet the need,” Martino said.
According to an analysis in May from Three Square, about one in seven residents in Southern Nevada is food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. This year, child hunger rose to 22% in the region that Three Square serves, up from 18% in 2024, according to nonprofit’s data.
“It was very difficult to ask for assistance,” said Clara Blackwell, a volunteer at Helping Hands.
Blackwell knows the courage it takes to walk into the pantry and ask for help. Her husband, son and granddaughter all died within weeks of each other. On a fixed income, she now volunteers here to help others find what kept her afloat.
“Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people coming here,” Blackwell said. “They have no choice. They have no choice at all. I said, ‘Well, you know what? Come reach out and see what you can get.'”
Andres Gutierrez joined CBS News Detroit in September 2022. He comes from KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, serving as a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, October 16, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Nonprofit believes everyone has a right to foods for a better life and a better future
Everyone can agree that healthy, nutritious food is vital for good health. In fact, this resource is defined as the third most basic human need after air and water. Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger, is expanding efforts to provide children and their families access to safe, healthy food. This work happens across the U.S. and in eight countries around the world, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, the Philippines, Tanzania and Uganda.
The nonprofit believes that everyone deserves access to adequate food. Fundamental rights like access to food, life, liberty, work, and education are also recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Internationally, Feed the Children provides food, resources and education through their Child-Focused Community Development (CFCD) program.
For families like Frasiko Kamchuwa, his wife Felita, and their four children whose ages range from 6 months to 10 years old -Takwonda, Malaki, Martha and Yamikani – this program proved to be life-changing.
The family lives in Chilenga village, in the rural heartlands of Malawi, where over one-third of households are below the poverty line. The family’s primary source of food was their maize crop, but it was not sufficient to meet the family’s nutritional needs.
“We used to go to school on an empty stomach. When we came back, sometimes we also would find no food and go to sleep hungry,” said Takonda.
Through Feed the Children’s Child-Focused Community Development (CFCD) program the family received vegetable seedlings, fruit trees and training on how to maximize the yields of their new garden. This comprehensive support not only addressed the family’s immediate nutritional needs but also laid the foundation for long-term stability.
The impact was immediate. The family’s diet diversified, and they started enjoying nutrient-rich vegetables like Bonongwe and Mpiru.
Their new garden didn’t just improve their diet-it opened new financial opportunities for the family. Frasiko began selling bananas and orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, using the money to buy school supplies for his children and any other food they couldn’t grow themselves.
The CFCD program not only had a significant impact on the Kamchuwa family, but also had far-reaching effects throughout the community. According to an official from Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture, the intervention significantly improved the community’s economic outlook.
“Now, my family and I can enjoy three meals a day, and our health has greatly improved,” Frasiko said.
In the U.S., Feed the Children has expanded programs including Food & Essential Hubs, Resource Rallies and recently opened their first Partner Market to increase access to shelf-stable food and other resources.
For moms like Sabina, the items she received at a Feed the Children event helped provide her three children with a sense of normalcy.
“You can look like you’re fine. You don’t look like you don’t have money. Appearances are a lie,” she said. “And you’re still willing to help me without knowing my real struggles. For the kids to still have what they need, I have an immense appreciation, because I don’t know how we would have survived.”
Sabina said she received cartons of shelf-stable milk, peanut butter, tomato sauce and spaghetti.
“My kids were so happy just to have the noodles and sauce and to be able to have dinner at home,” she said.
In the U.S. and around the world, Feed the Children distributed approximately 94.3 million pounds of food and essentials valued at approximately $399 million in fiscal year 2023. Through its partnerships and programs, the nonprofit’s outreach to children and their families benefited approximately 15 million people globally.
“Feed the Children is taking action to ensure our neighbors aren’t forgotten. We understand that many families are facing challenges, and we are working diligently with our corporate and community partners to ensure that as needs rise, children and their families continue to receive the food and supplies they need,” said Travis Arnold, Feed the Children president and CEO.
For more information on how you can help support Feed the Children’s World Food Day efforts, visit feedthechildren.org. Each dollar given delivers much-needed food and programs to families in the U.S. and around the world.
About Feed the Children
Feed the Children is a leading nonprofit committed to ending childhood hunger. The organization believes that no child should go to bed hungry, and so it provides children and families in the U.S. and around the world with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive.
Through its programs and partnerships, the organization feeds children today while helping their families and communities build resilient futures. In addition to food, Feed the Children distributes household and personal care items across the United States to help parents and caregivers maintain stable, food-secure households. Internationally, it expands access to nutritious meals, safe water, improved hygiene, and training in sustainable living. As responsible stewards of its resources, Feed the Children is driven to pursue innovative, holistic, and child-focused solutions to the complex challenges of hunger, food insecurity, and poverty.
For children everywhere, the organization believes that having enough to eat is a fundamental right. Learn how you can help create a world without childhood hunger at feedthechildren.org
D.C. nonprofit Bread for the City is offering extra financial support to people in need who are suffering from a chronic condition.
Helena Smith, right, of Washington, chooses fresh food items while being helped by Bread for the City volunteer, Pixie Alexander, of Washington, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the food pantry in Washington. The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday marks the end of several U.S. pandemic-era emergency support program, from extra food assistance to automatic enrollment in Medicaid. “I like this a lot because they give us a variety of fruit,” says Smith, “instead of just cans.” (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Helena Smith, right, of Washington, chooses fresh food items while being helped by Bread for the City volunteer, Pixie Alexander, of Washington, Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at the food pantry in Washington. The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday marks the end of several U.S. pandemic-era emergency support program, from extra food assistance to automatic enrollment in Medicaid. “I like this a lot because they give us a variety of fruit,” says Smith, “instead of just cans.” (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)(AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
D.C. nonprofit Bread for the City is offering extra financial support to people in need who are suffering from a chronic condition.
The program is called “Cash RX” and its goal, according to the organization, is to address economic inequality and health disparities in the District.
“It’s literally a prescription for cash,” said Brittany Pope, the economic security supervisor in the social services department at Bread for the City.
The program is helping five D.C. residents suffering from chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, depression and anxiety.
“Food insecurity, housing insecurity, community safety, being able to have access to reliable transportation — all of the things that contribute to our well-being,” Pope said of what residents can do with the funds the organization gives out.
Pope said the participants are the ones who determine how much money they receive from the program and decide on how they want to spend the funds. Among the first participants, organizers found the average monthly ask was between $1,100 and $1,400 a month.
“We wanted to do something innovative, something new, and show that if the participants have the keys and they are involved in selecting their cash amount, it’ll sort of contradict these narratives that the participants won’t spend the money in ways that will benefit their lives,” Pope said.
The program is only being announced now, but it officially kicked off late last year and has been successful, according to the organization.
The recipients are also required to check in quarterly. Results show that those recipients are using the money they’ve received in positive ways, according to Daisy Gomez Palacios, a member of the economic security team.
“They’re less stressed about being able to afford utilities, rent, food,” Gomez Palacios said.
It has also decreased a sense of food and housing insecurity, according to Gomez Palacios.
In one case, Gomez Palacios said a participant used the money to pay for a pair of “more fashionable” glasses for her middle-aged son that were not covered by their insurance.
“Yes, it’s just a pair of glasses, but to a child and to a mother who can provide that for the child, it means a lot more,” Gomez Palacios said.
In another instance, a diabetic woman is using the money to pay for a pescatarian diet, which helps her to treat her condition.
With a third participant, not having a limitation on how to spend the money allows them to buy culturally important foods that remind them of the country in which they grew up.
“Because of Cash RX, she’s able to buy that food with more frequency and it helps her with her homesickness,” Gomez Palacios.
The group said going into the projects, one of the concerns was whether or not a participant would spend the money on harmful items, such as alcohol or drugs.
“‘What if people spend money on things that are nefarious? What if people are spending money on alcohol [or] unnecessary things?’ What we’re seeing is that it’s not true,” Gomez Palacios said.
The program is funded in part from a health fund made with the proceeds of a settlement between D.C. and insurer Care First. Other donations that help fund the program come from both the Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation and the Hartfield Foundation.
Pope said the early results show this program is working and that they plan to select five more participants.
“This is a holistic project. We’re lifting up not only things that support their physical and mental health, but their spiritual health and their well-being as a whole,” said Pope.
Her hope is that this program not only expands down the road, but also serves as an example to others.
“We’re hoping that when the program reaches the end of this phase, and that we’re able to report our outcomes, that it’ll be a model that will change systems,” said Pope.
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LOWELL — The city Department of Planning and Development invites the public to participate in the review and feedback process for the fiscal 2024-2025 Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This action plan outlines the spending priorities for the Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Program and Emergency Solutions Grant funds, which work to enhance diversity of the city’s neighborhoods, preserve and create affordable housing and build environmental resilience.
Comments should be submitted via email to communitydevelopment@lowellma.gov by Wednesday, May 15, at 5 p.m. For more information, call 978-674-4252.
Flag-raising ceremony
LOWELL — In addition to the flags customarily flown at JFK Plaza, the city commemorates flags from many countries during the year. On Friday, May 17, at 10 a.m., the public is invited to a flag-raising ceremony for Haiti. The outdoor event is held in front of City Hall, 375 Merrimack St.
For a list of flag-raising dates, visit bit.ly/3L4y4cC. To schedule a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall, submit an application to the Office of Cultural Affairs and Special Events three to four weeks prior to the date of the flag-raising at bit.ly/3SXcybB. For information, call 978-674-1482 or email rdei@lowellma.gov.
Open House, food drive
CHELMSFORD — The Department of Public Works hosts an Open House on Saturday, May 18, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., at 9 Alpha Road. Attendees can touch a truck and see equipment demonstrations. A kids’ area includes a coloring contest, face painting and other free activities, as well as popcorn and cotton candy.
As part of Public Works Appreciation Week, which takes place at the end of May each year, the Chelmsford DPW is collecting food for the Chelmsford Food Pantry. Residents are encouraged to help fill a dump truck with donated food. Children enrolled in a Chelmsford school who bring a food donation to the Open House will be entered in a raffle to win a DPW parade escort to school.
This event will occur rain or shine. In the event of rain, the Open House and touch-a-truck will be held indoors. For information, call 978-250-5200 or 978-250-5228.
Rabies vaccination and microchip clinic
LOWELL — A rabies inoculation and microchip clinic for dogs and cats will be held at the Lowell Humane Society, 951 Broadway St., from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, May 19.
Owners must bring their pet’s previously issued rabies certificate to the clinic so that veterinarians can determine whether the pet needs either a one- or three-year vaccination series. Pets that have previously received a three-year vaccination at any point in the past may receive another three-year vaccination.
All dogs must be kept on a fixed — not retractable — leash. Cats must be in carriers. The fee is $20 per animal per vaccine or microchip. Registration required. To register, go to LowellHumaneSociety.org. For information, call 978-452-7781, email info@lowellhumanesociety.org.
TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Last night a homeless encampment fire endangered first responders and the surrounding community in Troy. NEWS10 spoke with local officials and to the homeless person involved, now without a camp, on what’s being done to ensure everyone’s safety.
The woman who claims to live there says she thinks this was arson. “I’ve lived here in the woods actually for about a year now. They’ve made us move three different times. And this time me and my boyfriend went out on our date night, which is at a soup kitchen, honestly. And we’re only gone an hour. And we came home to our tent in flames,” said the homeless woman.
There’s a growing concern for safety in Troy after the fire department responded to the homeless encampment fire which involved some explosions. “Last night was deep in a wooded area so that in itself is different for us trudged through a wooded area in our gear to get to a location that we can’t see so we don’t even really know what we have.” said Troy Fire Chief, Richard Cellucci. He also said his crews and neighbors heard popping noises that were a concern. “They did hear some things popping off so to speak I wouldn’t really classify them as major explosions but just some kind of popping off so they were a little concerned about what they would be approaching.”
Since Mayor Carmella Mantello took office, she says her Quality-of-Life Team has helped relocate these folks as best as possible. But some of the homeless have not appreciated this. “The first thing she did is mayor was targeting the homeless and I don’t understand why. I think there’s far much bigger problems in Troy than the homeless people,” said the homeless woman.
Mayor Mantello said, “The fact of the matter is it puts our community in danger and our job as an elected we want to find shelter, food, respectable shower, bathroom for these folks. But at the same time we can’t let these encampments you know, harm our community.”
Amy LaFountain Executive Director at Joseph’s House says her team is doing all they can to help the homeless community. “Our Troy Outreach team goes to all these places where people could potentially be staying outside, and we make sure they know what’s available and it’s for them to choose if they want that or if they’re ready for it,” said LaFountain.
However, some folks feel that we can all do a little better when it comes to a shared community. “I’m hoping for the best. We’ll see. I definitely don’t want anything bad to happen,” said one Troy resident.
“We all can do more for humanity. I think that there should be more food programs, food insecurity is real. Housing insecurity, even myself I just trying to look for a living around it can be tough. And I’m someone who graduated with a degree,” said another Troy Resident.
Nonetheless, Mantello says she is committed to keeping residents safe. “We cannot allow what happened last night to turn into something even much, much more catastrophic,” said Mantello.
Detroit People’s Food Co-Op, a Black-run, full-scale grocery store, has arrived on Woodward Avenue in Detroit’s North End.
The store opened its doors for the first time Wednesday, welcoming hundreds of eager shoppers in just the first hour.
The idea behind the ambitious undertaking, which took years of preparation, was to expand food access to a predominantly Black city that has notoriously lacked quality grocery options. And since the store is a co-op, anyone can own a piece of it by becoming a member.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there were more than 2,740 members.
“This is not something you’re invited to. It’s literally yours,” says Lanay Gilbert-Williams, president of the co-op’s board of directors. “There is no rich person in the shadows. People can’t imagine such a heaven where all types of people have come together to do a thing and take ownership of a thing. It belongs to the entire community.”
The store’s shelves and fridges are stocked full of fresh, locally grown produce, herbs, spices, condiments, meat, dairy products, vegan options, bakery items, canned and packaged goods, snacks, beverages, and health and wellness products — virtually anything you’d find in a grocery chain like Kroger or Meijer. There were also prepared foods, a variety of samples, a deli, and a coffee bar.
Levi Johnson Jr., a beaming, local entrepreneur with dreadlocks cascading out of his colorful, brimmed hat, was handing out samples of his barbecue sauce, called Mr. Levi’s MyTFine Soul Sauce, which comes in three flavors — mild, spicy, and “Habanero XS.”
“If my face ain’t on the bottle, no soul is inside,” Johnson tells Metro Times.
Johnson sells his products in more than 62 Meijers and 32 other metro Detroit grocers, but this one is special, he says.
Levi Johnson Jr., owner of Mr. Levi’s MyTFine Soul Sauce
“It’s revolutionary,” Johnson says of the co-op. “The time has come, not just for the Blacks, but for the people.”
Until recently, Detroit had been without a Black-owned grocery store for about a decade. Nearly 70% of Detroiters are considered “food insecure,” meaning they lack reliable access to food, according to a 2022 report from the Detroit Food Policy Council.
If all goes as planned, the grocery store is just the beginning of building self-reliance and justice in Detroit, a city that has long battled with racial and economic inequality. Co-op members are empowered to vote in board elections, share future profits, and be elected to committees, which could be tasked with fighting for affordable housing or disability rights.
“This is just the first day,” Gilbert-Williams says. “We’re all a family. We’re breaking bread together. Food brings everybody together. We have not had a Black-led, community-owned grocery store in Detroit. What is that going to look like? It’s going to be interesting.”
Although members have to be at least 21 years old, the co-op is aiming to get young people involved to experience what Black leadership and cooperation look like.
“The young people are going to take this over from us,” Gilbert -Williams, a mother of six children between the ages of seven and 28, says. “These young people are bold, and they’re fearless. They are loving, and they will not tolerate all this madness and division that has been going on for centuries. Let’s bring them on board now.”
Many college students in the U.S. are facing food insecurity, and an increasing number are now turning to on-campus food pantries. Elise Preston takes a look at the food pantry at UC Davis and the students who work there and rely on it.
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Fifteen Republican-led states have declined to participate in a new federal program from the Biden administration aimed at combating food insecurity among low-income families.
Under the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, set to launch this year, states will provide $120 per eligible child to families in the U.S. to help cover food costs through the summer months, when many children are out of school. The Summer EBT program was approved by Congress in 2022 and aims to improve food and nutrition security, access and affordability.
The Department of Agriculture announced on Wednesday that 35 states, all five U.S. territories and four tribes had opted to join the program. But 15 states led by Republican governors have rejected it, The New York Times reported, meaning millions of children are set to lose out on benefits.
The states that decided not to participate are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming.
Summer EBT is expected to provide nearly $2.5 billion in grocery benefits to as many as 21 million children across the 35 states that signed up.
“No kid should have to spend their summer hungry, or without nutritious food,” Deputy Agriculture Secretary Xochitl Torres Small said in a statement. “Summer EBT is a giant step forward in meeting the needs of our nation’s children and families throughout the year, and especially in the summer months.”
Republican governors of the states that opted out of the program had varying concerns, some citing the administrative costs and nutritional standards.
“In the end, I fundamentally believe that we solve the problem, and I don’t believe in welfare,” Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen told the Lincoln Journal Star, defending his decision not to accept the $40-a-month Summer EBT. The state will still use a different food program that will be the “best route to ensure that Nebraska’s low-income children don’t go hungry this summer.”
Crystal FitzSimons, director of school programs at the Food Research & Action Center, told CNN that providing families with grocery benefits to purchase additional food is “one of the easiest ways to support kids having access to food.”
Governors of states that enrolled in the program have expressed strong support. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, described the program as “a critical lifeline for families struggling to make ends meet,” and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a Republican, said Summer EBT was “an important new tool to give Arkansas children the food and nutrition they need.”
Some of the states that chose to participate, such as California and Massachusetts, have also recently adopted permanent programs granting free meals to public school students as part of growing efforts to address food insecurity.
Children who qualify for such free meals in schools are also eligible to receive food aid through the Summer EBT program, CNN reported.
More families experienced food insecurity in 2023 after pandemic-era food aid expired, CBS News reported. A report from the Department of Agriculture found that in 2022, about 17 million U.S. households experienced food insecurity, compared with 13.5 million in 2021, when there was more food assistance available through COVID-19 aid programs.
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“I don’t believe in welfare,” Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said of declining a federal program that would feed food-insecure children in the summer of 2024.
In a nation as affluent as the United States, it’s a harsh reality that more than 44 million people, including vulnerable children and seniors, grapple daily with food insecurity. Yet, this problem is not confined within any single nation’s borders. Globally, conflicts, climate changes, and a worldwide pandemic have escalated the number of those in dire need of access to food from 80 million to an astonishing 350 million in the past seven years.
If the chronically hungry formed their own nation today, it would be the third-largest in the world. This isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a stark representation of the vastness of this crisis.
The glaring irony is that globally, we produce sufficient food, yet fail in equitable distribution. This massive global misalignment threatens more than just the immediate need for food around the world. It underlies geopolitical instability, exacerbates shortages, and triggers mass migrations.
We cannot achieve world peace and progress on a planet half fed and half hungry.
The tools and solutions we require to combat the challenge are available, including more sustainable, efficient ways to provide short-term hunger relief, and new production systems and delivery methods to provide nutritious food and clean water. Piecemeal action is already happening, but we can collectively do much better. We must do better.
My own personal encounter with hunger began in childhood, in a home where meals weren’t always certain. A turning point came with an act of kindness — a stranger delivering a Thanksgiving meal. This gesture filled more than a physical void; it instilled a lifelong resolve to combat hunger.
My multi-decade journey combating hunger and its underlying contributors has been both eye-opening and disheartening. The generosity of everyday human beings is such a powerful force for good if directed. At the same time, during the past decade I have witnessed on multiple occasions cuts being made to essential hunger relief programs like the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), both before and after the pandemic. Both drive me to greater action and my search for the answer to the critical question: Why, in a world capable of producing ample food, are so many still battling hunger?
What I have concluded is that the solution lies beyond mere food provision; it’s about transforming our global perspective and methods for sustainable nourishment. It involves rethinking strategies to supply food without burdening impoverished populations and our planet.
As John F. Kennedy once said, “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.”
The financial aspect, though daunting, is manageable. Annually, $265 billion is required for sustainable hunger eradication, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization , a small fraction of the global GDP. It’s a feasible investment for the welfare of millions and the stability of our global community.
This battle against hunger demands a unified front, combining the efforts of NGOs, governments, and conscientious citizens. It’s about harnessing our resources, innovations, and collective will to bridge the gap between surplus and need.
As we strategize and form alliances, the power of individual action remains crucial. One person’s efforts can significantly impact this seemingly insurmountable issue, as history has repeatedly shown. Personally, I would have not even considered 40 years ago when I started giving food to just two families that I would now be able to successfully deliver 1 billion meals to families in the U.S.
Big-minded, innovative approaches are needed to tackle the diverse challenges of global hunger. This includes investing in agricultural technology to improve crop yields in underdeveloped regions, creating better food storage and transportation methods to reduce waste, and implementing policies that ensure fair distribution of resources needed to sustainably feed the world.
Furthermore, it’s essential to address the root causes of hunger, which often lie in political instability, economic disparity, and social injustice. Solutions must be holistic, addressing these underlying issues to create lasting change.
Moreover, the impact of hunger extends beyond the immediate lack of food. It affects children’s ability to learn, workers’ productivity, and the overall health of communities. Addressing hunger is not just about providing meals; it’s about laying the foundation for a healthier, more productive society. Making the investment now will more than pay for itself long-term.
As we stand at this crossroads, the challenge is not only to feed the hungry but to do so in a way that respects our planet and its resources. Sustainable practices in agriculture and food distribution are vital for the well-being of future generations.
I believe in our collective ability to address and eventually solve this crisis. This conviction stems from personal experiences and the numerous stories of resilience and generosity I’ve encountered. It’s a testament to the power of human compassion and ingenuity.
Together, we can change the course of global hunger and ensure that no individual, regardless of their location, faces the uncertainty of their next nutritious meal.
A lot of national and international organizations get a lot of attention for Giving Tuesday. If you have the money to spare, we suggest donating to somewhere local, too.
The Tuesday after Black Friday is dedicated to donating to nonprofits. We’ve compiled a few local organization to consider donating to in our and your local communities. These are essential groups that need just as much support as the bigger organizations, but have a much smaller budget and microphone to market from.
FIEL Houston
(FIEL)
Founded in 2007 by Houston college students, FIEL is a civil rights organization and advocacy group run by immigrants and the children of immigrants. While still very segregated, the Greater Houston Area is among the most diverse in the U.S. and home to people from all around the world.
FIEL specializes in free services regarding education (all, but especially college) and immigration resources. Additionally, they organize to meet other community needs, too. This includes things like organizing to get immigration protections (at all levels—local, state, and federal), accountability for victims of police violence, disaster recovery aid, tenants’ rights, and so much more. Donate to FIEL Houston here.
–Alyssa Shotwell.
White Pony Express
(White Pony Express)
White Pony Express is a different kind of charity organization. It runs on a model called “The Circle of Giving.” They take clothing and food from the community where there is too much and redistribute the resources to people who are in need of it. For example, if a catering business or restaurant has excess food, White Pony delivers the food to people who are experiencing food insecurity. Any food not fit for human consumption is either donated to a local wildlife rehabilitation center or composted for local gardens. It ensures the community’s needs are met while minimizing waste. Donate to White Pony Express here.
–D.R. Medlen.
Abortion funds
Abortion access continues to be under attack across the country. Fortunately, there are incredible activists and organizations fighting back. The Midwest Access Coalition helps pregnant people traveling to, from, and within the Midwest to access safe and legal abortion—an unfortunately necessary service as many states in the area have harsh abortion bans and are also trying desperately to ban interstate travel for the purpose of obtaining an abortion.
The National Network of Abortion Funds also does incredible work in a similar area. The group is a collection of 100 abortion funds nationwide. In my area, that includes the Missouri Abortion Fund (MoAF). Like the Midwest Access Coalition, they don’t offer direct funds to patients. Instead, they work with local clinics, covering portions of the cost of abortion services, including counseling, for those who need it.
MoAF says that since they began funding procedures in 2016, they’ve contributed more than $1.3 million toward abortion care for over 7,000 Missourians from all over the state.
All over the country, the trade industries (i.e. electricians, plumbers, carpenters) are experiencing a lack of qualified applicants. Rising Sun Center for Opportunity trains women, at-risk youth, and those with employment challenges to work in these fields. Focusing on job safety, climate-friendly solutions, and liveable wage jobs, Rising Sun has helps change the lives of people all over the San Francisco Bay Area. They work with people to ensure their personal lives are safe and balanced, helping participants attain housing or mental health services so they can be successful on the job. Donate to Rising Sun here.
–D.R. Medlen.
Pasadena Animal Shelter & Adoption Center
(City of Pasadena)
When people think of animal shelters, they go straight to the big city ones and the ASPCA. Those are great, but there are also small ones serving our local communities nationwide. For Giving Tuesday, I recommend donating a few dollars to your local animal shelter.
If they’re well resourced and you want to donate to another one, I recommend the one in Pasadena, TX. They need extra help because their facilities have been severely limited due to the first-ever destructive tornado in the city’s history ripping through the building. While they’re still providing resources to pet owners in need like shots and pet food, they can’t take in animals at the moment. If you haven’t divested from Amazon yet, you can also send donations directly through their wish list. Donate to Pasadena Animal Shelter here.
As a food bank and community food network, Harvesters collects, processes, stores, and distributes food to hundreds of partner agencies, including food pantries, community kitchens, and shelters in Missouri and Kansas. They make sure the food gets where it needs to go to help as many people as possible, feeding more than a quarter million people every month. The group’s mission is mission is “feeding hungry people today and working to end hunger tomorrow.”
By the way, during her Eras tour, Taylor Swift quietly made hefty donations to groups connected to national org Feeding America, including an undisclosed but “generous” donation to Harvesters during her stop in Kansas City. (And that was before she fell for our tight end.) Be like Taylor: Donate your food, money, or time to Harvesters or your local food bank.
As a museum-head, I had to get one in and one of the best museum-like places doing fantastic work in serving their community is Project Row Houses. Founded by seven artists in 1993, PRH is a community nonprofit serving the residents of one of Houston two major historical Black neighborhoods, Third Ward.
The row houses served as installation/studio spaces for underrepresented artists outside of traditional practice and gave an economically disadvantaged neighborhood access to engaging art without needing to travel into unwelcoming spaces. The main pillars of the organization are community enrichment, neighborhood development, and art.
In addition to interesting art installations in the row houses, the organization offers free business-oriented sessions to residents, distributes food aid, has a free housing program for young mothers in their final stretch of college, and works with the local food co-op. Probably most importantly, PRH has worked to slow and reverse gentrification to give residents the tools to stay and not get pushed out. Donate to Project Row Houses here.
Food insecurity was expected to diminish in a post-pandemic world, experts believed during COVID. Instead, they are seeing the opposite.
Food banks on Long Island are experiencing greater demand, and are strategizing to purchase and distribute more pounds of food today versus a year ago.
“During COVID, there were massive delays in the supply chain,” said Paule Pachter, president and CEO of Long Island Cares Inc. – The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank, headquartered in Hauppauge. And while “that’s improved, the prices are raised,” and that is putting a strain on those helping to alleviate food insecurity, not just on Long Island, but across the country, he said.
PAULE PACHTER: ‘The corporate community on Long Island is very generous.’ Photo by Judy Walker
Pachter is seeing a need that is “pretty close to crisis-type numbers where our partners are reporting anywhere from a 35% to 70% increase in the number of people coming for food assistance.”
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a “lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life.”
On Long Island, 221,000 people are food insecure, with an estimated 65,000 of them children, according to the most recent statistics from Long Island Cares.
Currently, food insecurity is growing at a time of increased costs at grocery stores, gas pumps and beyond. It is further exacerbated by the termination of government-funded COVID support, as well as newly arrived immigrants who have a connection to families already on Long Island, experts said.
At the same time, people struggle to pay bills, feed their families and move on from the pandemic when they might have lost jobs, said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville.
Across the five food banks that Long Island Cares supports, the organization has purchased and received 37.59% more food than it did a year ago. This includes items from partnering grocery chains such as Stop & Shop, King Kullen, ShopRite and others, as well as Amazon, Walmart and Costco. The increase also accounts for federal commodities received from the USDA.
All told, Long Island Cares has distributed 28.4% more food than it did a year ago to its pantries, partner pantries as well as soup kitchens, senior centers, veterans’ facilities and other locations.
Others agree that food insecurity is growing.
DANA LOPEZ: ‘We think the government needs to take another look at funding support for low-income individuals and families.’ The INN
“We have seen a 65% increase in requests for meals since last year,” said Dana Lopez, director of marketing and communications at The INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) in Hempstead.
“Since before the pandemic until this year [2019-2023], we’ve had a 346% increase in the number of meals requested,” Lopez said. “We have a 169% increase in the number of people from 2021 to 2023. Many of these new people are taking food for people unable to walk to The INN.”
That new demand, Lopez said, is “because the increase in the cost of food and the loss of government COVID support funding, which had helped many people living in poverty.”
RANDI SHUBIN DRESNER: People are struggling to pay bills and feed their families. Photo by Judy Walker
The increase in food insecurity comes as the end-of-year holidays approach, and food drives ramp up. Island Harvest, for example, estimates the organization needs “well over 60,000 turkeys,” Dresner said, adding that the organization had originally anticipated 23,000 turkeys, chickens, tofurkey, and hams. “We’re 37,000 short,” she said.
But partnerships, such as the one with Bethpage Federal Credit Union, help. This year, for example, the credit union launched a new corporate challenge to see which employer donates the most turkeys, benefiting Island Harvest.
Programs, such as New York State’s Nourish New York, also help, Pachter said. Through this program, food banks are able to purchase from the state’s agricultural community, including “Long Island Grown” produce and more.
“We spend over $200,000 to help Long Island fishermen under Nourish New York, and can buy fresh fish,” he said.
Still, food banks face other challenges.
For example, in the last year, “a handful of foundations” that had supported Long Island Cares dissolved after their founders had died, bringing a close to a stream of funding, Pachter said.
Those facing food insecurity often require additional support.
“Anytime there is an increase in the cost of basic necessities, it impacts people living in poverty and those who lack the money necessary to meet their basic needs,” said Heather Edwards, executive director of the Allied Foundation, which offers a diaper bank and period products. “Currently, the government does not recognize diapers and period products as essential needs, and no program–not SNAP, WIC or Medicaid–allocates dollars for their purchase.”
She added that diapers and period supplies are “essential needs and national public health issues. No one should have to choose between buying food over basic necessities such as diapers that keep their babies healthy, and period supplies to manage their menstruation.”
All of this requires raising awareness, developing new strategies, and continued advocacy.
“We think the government needs to take another look at funding support for low-income individuals and families, including emergency food stamps, and consider temporary work permits for those seeking asylum,” Lopez said.
Pachter would like to see regional costs of living factored into the family poverty level, which configures into Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program eligibility. For example, “$51,000 a year for a family of four gets you a lot more in Alabama than it will on Long Island,” he said.
Island Harvest works to empower people to “help them understand the nutritional value of food” and its “impact on health,” Dresner said, adding that positive outcomes can include lower expenses on medication. The organization also has a “holiday hero” program where businesses become food collection sites across the region where trained volunteers can get food faster to families in need.
“The corporate community on Long Island is very generous,” Pachter said.
He recalled the days of his organization’s namesake Harry Chapin, when the legendary folk singer from Huntington “went around personally” to Long Island businesses in his quest to end hunger.
“Chapin would tell executives ‘These are the people you live with–you gotta step up,” Pachter said. “And they’re still doing it.”
Music artists team up with Greater Good Music to deliver food to families hit by Hurricane Ian
Press Release –
Nov 22, 2022 13:00 EST
NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 22, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– Earlier this fall, Hurricane Ian roared through Florida as one of the worst disasters in the state’s history. In the Fort Myers area, more than 5,000 homes were destroyed with thousands more sustaining damage. With many grocery stores and restaurants closed, food has not been readily available for Southwest Florida residents. It can also be difficult to afford food for families who suffered financial impacts of the disaster.
Greater Good Music is partnering with music artists from across the nation to provide help in the way of truckloads of grocery supplies delivered directly to Florida neighborhoods damaged by Hurricane Ian.
Stevie Nicks, Lauren Daigle, 38 Special, Foreigner, and more music artists are partnering with Greater Good Music to have food trucks delivered to Florida residents in need during the Thanksgiving season.
Greater Good Music has teamed up with the Harry Chapin Food Bank to organize these food distributions, donated by music artists, during the holiday season. Each distribution delivers 40,000 pounds of food and provides six hundred families with a week’s worth of groceries.
Food distributions will continue into December bringing fresh fruits, vegetables, and protein to Florida families. The holidays are a particularly critical time for this help as other relief organizations end their operations, yet hurricane impacted families are still feeling the strain of recovery efforts.
“It’s critical to be here for these families around the holidays. This could be a sad time in Southwest Florida with so much destruction. We want to bring comfort and nourishment. Music has so much power to heal, and these music artists sending food is a hands-on way to provide that healing,” stated Sheila Jones, director of Greater Good Music. Online donations can be made at GreaterGoodMusic.org
Greater Good Music’s mission is to prevent food insecurity by partnering with music artists to help families in need. According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure.
About Greater Good Music: Greater Good Music brings people and music together to do good. We partner with music artists on concert tours across the nation to supply food distributions before show time to low-income families and disaster victims.Find us atwww.GreaterGoodMusic.org, and on Instagram (@GreaterGoodMusicCharity) and Facebook (facebook.com/GreaterGoodMusic). Greater Good Music is operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178), a Maryland charitable trust with federal tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Greater Good Music are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., November 21, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– It’s been a tough year to make ends meet with rising inflation and historically high food costs making it difficult for families to afford Thanksgiving this year. Tennessee and Kentucky residents were both especially hard hit with catastrophic floods that tragically took lives and destroyed thousands of homes. This is why Tennessee-based non-profit Greater Good Music approached supporter and entertainer/songwriter Morgan Wallen and his Foundation to partner for a giveaway this holiday season. Working together, 2,000 families in need received turkeys along with complete meals ahead of Thanksgiving this week.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, Greater Good Music delivered turkeys to more than 300 Middle Tennessee families waiting in line at Waverly High School, in Waverly, Tennessee, where a historic flood gutted the town last year and residents have been working to rebuild. Volunteers from Joseph’s Storehouse food ministry were on hand to distribute turkeys, stuffing, and fresh fruits and vegetables to families who were impacted by the flood disaster near Nashville.
Additional communities in Tennessee also received food deliveries including Wallen’s hometown of Sneedville in Eastern Tennessee where 450 families received Thanksgiving meal boxes. The distributions at local high schools and food pantries took place this weekend. In addition, 600 families in Pike County, Kentucky, who lost homes in the flood there this summer, received complementary holiday dinners.
Earlier this year, Greater Good Music worked with Wallen and his Foundation to help communities in need on several stops on his 2022 Dangerous Tour. Greater Good Music identified food insecure communities on the tour and organized food distributions donated by Wallen that fed more than 500,000 people in need before show time on tour stops across the United States.
Greater Good Music’s mission is to prevent food insecurity by partnering with music artists to organize mobile food distributions in cities on tour. According to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 34 million people, including 9 million children, in the United States are food insecure and may not have enough food to eat each week. Covid-19, climate change, and global conflicts have exacerbated the problems of food insecurity in America and the world this year.
About Greater Good Music: Greater Good Music brings people and music together to do good. We partner with nationally known music artists on tour to supply healthy food distributions before show time to low-income families and disaster victims, so they do not have to go hungry.Greater Good Music teamed up with musicians and volunteers on tour across the United States to deliver over one million meals to food insecure people in America in 2022. We turn concert day into a day of giving. Find us atwww.GreaterGoodMusic.org, and on Instagram (@GreaterGoodMusicCharity) and Facebook (facebook.com/GreaterGoodMusic). Greater Good Music is operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund, a Maryland charitable trust with federal tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Greater Good Music are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
About Morgan Wallen:
The east Tennessee superstar and recent ACM Milestone Award recipient shares, “Awards are awesome, but my true measure of success is my fans, who this year I got to see every single night out on the road and will continue to do so for many years to come.” Thanks to nearly 1 million of his fans, $3 for every ticket sold during his 2022 Dangerous Tour has raised nearly $3 million benefitting the Morgan Wallen Foundation which funds causes close to his heart.
