Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation Targets Nutrition Education, Fresh Food Access Amid Pandemic

120 grants support creation and growth of critical programming addressing equitable food systems

PHOENIX, Oct. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As schools and students across the country adapt to new ways of learning, community efforts to create a more equitable food system are gaining momentum. The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, which focuses on nutrition education and fresh food access, today announced $1.6 million in donations to nonprofit partners addressing local issues amplified by the pandemic.

"Five years ago, we established the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation to increase our ability to support local organizations that share our vision of bringing healthy, nutritious food to all," said Lyndsey Waugh, executive director of the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. "These organizations have taken tremendous steps to adapt their programs amidst COVID-19, redirecting efforts to support the immediate need of the children and communities they serve right now and exploring new and innovative ways to deliver programming virtually. We are working hand-in-hand with many of our partners to make these important transitions possible."

School and community gardens are ramping up their growing and food distribution efforts, providing local residents with greater access to healthy food during the pandemic. "When our student-centered teaching farms felt the impact of COVID-19, we knew we had to pivot and we had to do it quickly," said Amanda Storey, executive director of the Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham, Ala. "With support from our school partners and from funders like Sprouts, we turned our teaching farms into production farms and began distributing free produce and seedlings to our local community, resulting in over 15,000 pounds of fresh vegetables being distributed since April."

This year, Sprouts' Foundation will award 120 grants to nonprofit organizations in the 23 states where the company operates, including 113 Neighborhood Grants and seven high-impact grants designed to help partners strengthen and expand their programs, totaling $1.6 million.

Neighborhood Grant recipients include:

• 18 Reasons (San Francisco) - The Cooking Matters at Home program will provide fresh groceries and six-week virtual cooking classes to 120 kids and parents through the fall/spring school year.
  
  
• American Heart Association (Phoenix) - The Fresh Connections program will provide 400 food-insecure children with locally grown, fresh produce, distributed through assembled take-home bags this fall.