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.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/623506
FISH Food Banks of Pierce County (Tacoma, Washington). FISH Food Banks' mission is "to provide nutritious food for people in need with compassion, dignity and respect," providing each client with enough good food to make at least three meals a day for three days for each member of the family, via seven food banks and the innovative Mobile Food Bank's nine dis- tribution sites. In 2014, it served 538,295 client visits, impacting the lives of more than 75,000 unique people in crisis. Nearly 40 percent of its clients are children. farmerfoodshare.org FOOD for Lane County (Eugene, Oregon). FOOD for Lane County is a private nonprofit food bank dedi- cated to eliminating hunger in Lane County. It plans to use grant funds in collaboration with the Oregon State Hospital to purchase a dehydrator, which will aid in the creation of fruit leathers that will be produced by hos- pital patients, helping to build patients' pride and confi- dence. This collaboration will allow them to provide local fruit in a form that is easy to transport through their Emergency Food Boxes and in children's programs. foodforlanecounty.org Food Forward (North Hollywood, California). Food Forward rescues fresh local produce that would oth- erwise go to waste. In the last six years, its mostly volunteer-powered recovery events have collected more than 14 million pounds (56 million servings) of fresh fruits and vegetables, helping feed people in need in Los Angeles and five surrounding counties. foodforward.org Food Gatherers (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Food Gatherers exists to alleviate hunger and eliminate its causes in the local Ann Arbor, Michigan community. Food Gatherers is specifically committed to increasing the quality and quantity of nutritious food available for people in need. It ensures that 60 percent of its total food distribution is produce or protein. foodgatherers.org Food Recovery Network (College Park, Maryland). The Food Recovery Network is the largest college student movement against food waste and hunger in America. In four years, the organization has grown to 160 chap- ters and has recovered and redirected 1 million pounds of surplus food to nearby hunger-fighting nonprofits. foodrecoverynetwork.org Food Shift (Oakland, California). Food Shift aims to radically shift the way food and people are valued in society, working collaboratively with communities, busi- nesses and governments to develop sustainable solutions that reduce wasted food and hunger. Funding from the Specialty Food Foundation will help launch Alameda Kitchen, a program that will train and employ formerly homeless individuals to transform surplus produce into nutritious meals and value-added products. foodshift.net Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore (Norfolk, Virginia). As recipients of the Specialty Food Foundation Mobile Pantry grant, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore will be able to run its distribution program that provides food to the neediest communities, while coordinating with part- ner agencies and other social service organizations to determine delivery locations. During this past fiscal year, the program provided 1.395 million pounds of food— more than 1.16 million meals—to individuals who either could not travel to an agency or their local agency was at capacity. This year, the foodbank expects to provide more than 1 million meals and of those meals, 33 percent will be fresh produce. foodbankonline.org Hidden Harvest (Coachella, California). Hidden Harvest is a produce "rescue" organization that operates in the Coachella Valley of southern California, a large agricul- ture region east of Palm Springs. It is the only gleaning organization in the country that pays laborers to harvest fresh, healthy produce left behind in farmers' fields and packing houses. Since its founding in 2000, it has aver- aged more than 1 million pounds of rescued produce annually for the more than 55,000 people who receive it each month. hiddenharvest.org Homeless Garden Project (Santa Cruz, California). The Homeless Garden Project provides job training, transi- tional, and support services to the homeless. Its "Feed Two Birds" CSA program distributes weekly shares to low-income members of the community via local nonprofit agencies. With the support of the Specialty Food Foundation, Homeless Garden Project will provide 5,000 pounds of organic produce to low-income residents, free of charge, and pilot a health fair to promote good nutrition with a focus on engaging nonprofit partners. homelessgardenproject.org Lawrence County Social Services, Inc. (New Castle, Pennsylvania). Lawrence County Social Services, Inc. is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Lawrence County by eliminating and preventing the causes and effects of poverty by mobilizing and directing resources to assist, educate, and promote self- sufficiency. Its Summer Food Service Program was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. lccap.org WINTER 2016 115