Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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GRANT CYCLE UNDERWAY FOR SPECIALTY FOOD FOUNDATION The Specialty Food Foundation, which funds hunger relief and food recovery efforts, is now reviewing letters of inquiry for its 2015 grant cycle. Submissions will be reviewed, and selected organizations whose mission and approach match those of the Foundation will be invited to submit grant proposals. The proposals will be reviewed by the foun- dation staff and its board of directors, and grants will be awarded in December 2015. Last year the Specialty Food Foundation, established as part of the Specialty Food Association, awarded grants to 14 organizations. "Our first recipients are inspiring social entrepreneurs whose innovative programs are working to break the hunger cycle and enrich lives," says Ron Tanner, the Association's vice president of philanthropy, government, and industry relations. "We seek to assist in these important efforts and shed light on the magnitude of the hunger problem." These are the 14 grant recipients: Ceres Community Project (Sebastopol, California) pro- vides organic meals and nutrition education to low- income families struggling with serious illness, along with soil-to–community food systems education to 14- to 19-year-old youth who serve as the program's volun- teer gardeners and chefs. ceresproject.org Farmer Foodshare (Chapel Hill, North Carolina) con- nects people who grow food with people who need food in ways that are economically sustainable and socially just. farmerfoodshare.org Food Forward (North Hollywood, California) collects produce that would otherwise go to waste and con- nects this excess to local hunger relief agencies. Food Forward's volunteer-powered produce-recovery events have collected and donated nearly 6 million pounds of fresh, healthy produce to direct-service agencies serv- ing the most vulnerable people of Los Angeles and four surrounding counties. foodforward.org Food Runners (San Francisco) has for nearly 30 years been picking up excess perishable and prepared foods from businesses in San Francisco and delivering it to neighborhood food programs. foodrunners.org Food Shift (Berkeley, California) works to identify and resolve the systemic and structural challenges lead- ing to wasted food. The group identifies, designs, and implements strategies to more effectively and efficiently ensure edible food is kept out of the waste stream and used for human consumption. foodshift.net Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (Norfolk, Virginia) is leading the effort to eliminate hunger in its community by sourcing and distributing food through more than 400 partner agencies and programs. foodbankonline.org Move For Hunger (Neptune, New Jersey) mobilizes the relocation industry to reduce food waste by picking up unwanted food items during the moving process and delivering them to community food banks. Move For Hunger has partnered with more than 600 moving companies, 5,500 real estate agents, and the corporate housing industry to deliver more than 3.5 million meals. moveforhunger.org Operation Food Search (St. Louis) nourishes and edu- cates those in need. Its robust emergency food distribu- tion system and education programs give the commu- nity a range of coping mechanisms to help overcome the effects of hunger. operationfoodsearch.org Portland Fruit Tree Project (Portland, Oregon) increas- es equitable access to healthful food by empowering residents to share in the harvest and care of urban fruit trees. The organization brings people together to harvest fruit and distribute it to those in need, teaching tree care and food preservation skills, while cultivating community orchards. portlandfruit.org Rio Grande Food Project (Albuquerque, New Mexico) provides emergency food relief to hungry individuals and families throughout the area. Clients receive a week's worth of food for the entire household. Last year the organization served 377,000 emergency meals to 26,720 hungry children, teens, adults, and seniors. rgfp.org Rolling Harvest Food Rescue (Lumberville, Pennsylvania) provides effective, efficient, and reliable distribution of donated surplus produce and healthy food from local farms and markets, at absolutely no cost to the farmers or the recipient hunger-relief agencies. rollingharvest.org Food Shift association news 152 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com