Community Foundation awards initiative grant to fight hunger

Southwest Florida Community Foundation awarded $86,000 to United Way of Lee, Hendry and Glades as fiscal sponsor of the Hunger Task Force of Southwest Florida through the community foundation's annual Initiative Grant. The grant will be used to support the Hunger Task Force's H.E.L.P. Initiative (Hunger Eradicated by Local Partnerships).

The Initiative Grant required that grant seekers collaborate with other community partners. According to the Hunger Task Force grant proposal, the H.E.L.P. initiative includes the following collaborative efforts:

. The Salvation Army will develop a client-choice food pantry called Sally's Marketplace.

. Harry Chapin Food Bank will implement a gleaning program for gathering produce from Southwest Florida farms to increase the supply of fresh produce and citrus at local food pantries.

. CCMI will undertake the creation of a sustainable customer-choice centered model for long-term hunger elimination that includes neighborhood storefront cafés and pantry marketplaces, mobile food pantries, and mobile case management and food stamp access.

. Kids Against Hunger will provide rice packets to food pantries for distribution during the summer months.

. Sown Together will create and maintain urban gardening projects.

The theme for this year's Initiative Grant was "Working Together for Hunger Relief."

"The Community Foundation's Trustees decided in November to select hunger as the focus issue of the Initiative, recognizing that hunger is a critical community issue," said Anne Douglas, SWFLCF director of programs.

She noted that with the economic recession, increased foreclosures, and rising unemployment in Southwest Florida, hunger relief agencies have been seeing a dramatic increase in the number of clients they are serving, including middle-income clients who used to be donors. To make matters worse, at the same time that there is increased demand for services, many agencies are also seeing a decrease in monetary and food donations.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation's annual Initiative Grant focus area is determined in November. Grant proposals are accepted beginning in January through early to mid-March and awards are announced in June. The Initiative Grant is the Community Foundation's largest annual grant. Visit www.floridacommunity. com or call 274-5900 for detailed grant information.