Stop Food Waste Day 2022: Five Food Insecurity Grants for Nonprofits

Food waste is a huge issue in the United States and the world as a whole. While there are many solutions to this issue, not a lot can be done without the proper funding. In order to help stop food waste, it is crucial to financially support programs focused on food insecurity, as well as research to improve sustainable eating. Decreasing food waste will directly help fight against global hunger, poverty, climate change, and health. The benefits are endless, which is why this issue deserves all the awareness it can get.

GrantWatch has many nutrition and food grants on its site, as well as opportunities for farming and agriculture funding. To show its support for the issue of food waste and to raise awareness, GrantWatch will be sharing five of these grants today!

Why Is It Important to Stop Food Waste?

For starters, according to the organization, Feeding America, 108 billion pounds of food is wasted in the U.S. This means 130 billion meals gone to waste and more than $408 billion in food thrown away every year. Not only is this a waste of resources and money, but it disgraceful and uncalled for when compared to the amount of people currently in need of food.

Not only is this wasted food enough to feed all of the hungry people in the world, but it is more than enough — by quite a bit. The Stop Food Waste Day website notes that it would only take 25 percent of the total wasted food to feed the 795 million undernourished people in the world. Read that, only 25 percent. For this reason, it is imperative that change occurs. Organizations need funding to continue spreading awareness and helping this cause. In addition, all people need to learn to stop food waste whenever possible and share resources to those in need. Change starts at all levels, whether the farmers, shippers, manufacturers, retailers, or just the average person cooking in their home.

On April 27th specifically, people all over the world take the day to honor Stop Food Waste Day. There are several ways that people can celebrate this holiday. Some of which include:

• Pledging to use less food in one’s daily lives.
• Donating extra food to food pantries in the area.
• Volunteering with a nutrition-related nonprofit or at a local soup kitchen.
• Promote neighborhood composting.
• Try a new recipe that repurposes leftovers.

Grants to Help Combat Food Insecurity

1. Firstly, grants of up to $5,000 and in-kind donations are open to nonprofits, schools, and faith-based organizations in eligible locations to benefit children. Areas of focus include food insecurity, health and wellness, and DEI programming.
2. There are also grants to nonprofit organizations for programs to encourage nutritious eating and reduce food insecurity. The goal of the grant program is to improve availability and access to healthier food and to build people’s confidence to select, prepare, and serve healthier food.
3. In addition, grants are available to nonprofits, for-profits, government agencies, and IHEs to develop local agricultural industries and food systems. The goal is to support the development, coordination, and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.
4. Funding of up to $25,000 is available to nonprofit organizations for activities that encourage sustainable eating. Funding is to raise awareness about the impact of food choices on the environment.
5. Finally, there are grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofits in multiple states to promote healthy eating and nutrition education for children.

GrantNews Notes

Looking for more grants like the ones included in this article? GrantWatch has an entire category for nutrition-related grants. This category includes more than 500 grants for food pantries, food assistance programs, and school and community nutrition and exercise programs.

Also, make sure to sign up for a paid subscription to GrantWatch. By doing so, you and your organization can receive access to more than 8,000 grants for nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals. This includes full eligibility criteria, contact information for grant funders, and application links.