Grant brings Lovin' Spoonfuls to MW
A coalition of local funders - the MetroWest Health Foundation; the Sudbury Foundation; Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation; and the Foundation for MetroWest - are partnering to bring more fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains to the pantries and tables of those most in need in our communities. Over the next three years, these four organizations have pledged more than a quarter of a million dollars to support the expansion of Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a nonprofit dedicated to bridging the gap between abundance and need.
The three-year grant of nearly $275,000 will allow Lovin’ Spoonfuls to bring their proven food rescue model to food pantries and shelters in the MetroWest region.
“Each of the funders participating in this project has a long history of providing support for hunger programs in the region. This grant will further those efforts by working to make fresh fruits, vegetables, and other products available in a more organized and responsive way,” said Martin Cohen, president of the MetroWest Health Foundation.
In communities known for great affluence and beauty, it may come as a surprise to many that organizations like Lovin’ Spoonfuls are necessary. But suburban hunger is real, and it must be addressed. Together, we are working towards a future where neighbors in need have safe, supportive, and well-stocked places to go when consistently putting healthy food on the table becomes challenging.
While there are 700,000 food insecure residents in Massachusetts, and 20,000 MetroWest kids who rely on free or reduced school lunches, there is no lack of food—in fact, there is abundance.
"Picture the Rose Bowl, fill it up with fresh produce and set it on fire. That's the rate that we waste food in this country every day," Lovin' Spoonfuls Founder Ashley Stanley said last week at a Panel Talk: "Hunger in MetroWest, " hosted by the Foundation for MetroWest. "And yet, local food pantries are struggling to stock their shelves. The divide between abundance and need is great, but we can change that."
Efforts like those of Lovin' Spoonfuls help bridge the divide by connecting people in need to the bounty of unused food that exists in our communities.
Food programs are ready to take in more fresh food. Joanne Barry, executive director of A Place to Turn in Natick said, "A Place to Turn is thrilled to hear that local foundations will be funding Lovin' Spoonfuls in our area as they have a proven record of encouraging businesses and other food establishments to donate food that is currently going to waste. This new collaboration will absolutely result in more food delivered to organizations like ours that can then distribute it immediately to people in need in our community.”
Read the MetroWest Daily News article here.
Photo courtesy of A Place to Turn