Simply Organic Announces Annual Grants to Organizations Addressing Systemic Food Insecurity

The Simply Organic Giving Fund awarded $150,000 in 2024 to U.S. nonprofits providing access to healthy, organic food options

NORWAY, Iowa, Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Simply Organic, a leader in organic herbs, spices, flavors and seasonings, today announced five recipients of the Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant Program who will receive a collective $150,000 to address food insecurity in their communities this year.

For the 2024 granting period, Simply Organic selected organizations with programs uniquely designed to tackle ongoing gaps in the food assistance system, from poor nutrition, insufficient access, social stigma, lack of choice or lifestyle fit, and more.

"Increasing access to healthy foods plays naturally into Simply Organic's core values as an all-organic spice brand," said Sheryl Marchetti, senior director of marketing for Simply Organic. "We look forward to partnering with organizations who are pushing for more creative approaches to addressing food insecurity, going beyond typical solutions to better answer their communities' health and cultural needs."

The 2024 Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant Program recipients include:

• Dion's Chicago Dream: Dion's Chicago Dream works to combat food insecurity in the Chicagoland area, using nutritional philanthropy as a catalyst to build community and transform lives. Dion's Chicago Dream will receive a $40,000 grant from Simply Organic to continue to expand its award-winning Dream Deliveries program, which brings a five-day supply of pre-measured produce directly to residents and helps reduce food waste in the process.
• Emergency Food Network: Emergency Food Network's Mother Earth Farm provides 100+ varieties of organic produce to local food pantries serving a wide range of cultural backgrounds in Pierce County, Washington. Mother Earth Farm will receive a $15,000 grant from Simply Organic in 2024 to continue growing a diverse selection of fresh, culturally significant food.
• Matthew 25: Matthew 25's Groundswell Café is a "pay-it-forward" eatery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that provides guests with access to handmade organic meals— regardless of their ability to pay. Groundswell Café will receive a $15,000 grant to support the café's pay-it-forward initiative as well as healthy grab-n-go meals that can be purchased at an affordable price from its Cultivate Hope Corner Store.
• Project Worthmore: Project Worthmore's Delaney Community Farm supports Denver-area refugees through sustainable agriculture training, education and employment. Project Worthmore will receive a $50,000 grant from Simply Organic to expand operations at the DeLaney Community Farm and the Yu Meh Food Share Program to bring healthy, fresh foods to even more families.
• Sharing Excess: Sharing Excess is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that helps bridge the gap between food surplus and food scarcity by rescuing and redistributing excess food from businesses and wholesalers to people in need. Sharing Excess will receive a $30,000 grant from Simply Organic to open a second Wholesale Food Rescue program at Hunts Point Produce Market in New York City.

"It's great to continue our relationship with Simply Organic to rise to the occasion and fight to eliminate food insecurity," said Dion Dawson, Chief Dreamer and Founder of Dion's Chicago Dream. "Simply Organic's continued commitment to supporting Dion's Chicago Dream and other nonprofits across the country helps us reimagine food and nutrition philanthropy and meet critical needs of the communities we serve."

Established in 2001, the Simply Organic Giving Fund was originally organized to support organic agricultural development, and to date has given more than $2.5 million to projects around the globe. In 2018, the brand turned its giving focus to the growing issue of food insecurity in the United States and Canada and has since partnered with a dozen organizations dedicated to providing food insecure communities access to healthy organic food options.

To learn more about the Simply Organic Giving Fund, visit 
https://www.simplyorganic.com/giving-back-2.

Simply Organic®
Simply Organic, an all-organic brand from Frontier Co-op®, offers an extensive and growing selection of certified organic spices, baking flavors and extracts, seasoning mixes, and simmer sauces, while supporting organizations working to end food insecurity. Find out more about Simply Organic at www.simplyorganic.com.

Frontier Co-op^®
Founded in 1976 and based in Norway, Iowa, Frontier Co-op offers a full line of products for natural living under the Frontier Co-op, Simply Organic®, and Aura Cacia® brands. Products include culinary herbs, spices and baking flavors; bulk herbs and spices; plant-based organic meal solutions; and aromatherapy products with a wide selection of organics. Frontier Co-op's goal is to provide consumers with the highest-quality products while supporting and promoting social and environmental responsibility. For more information, visit the co-op's website at www.frontiercoop.com.

Alicia Simmons
CSR Manager
Alicia.Simmons@frontiercoop.com

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SOURCE Simply Organic