Chicago, IL, USA – April 18, 2016- The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) has received two grants from the General Mills Foundation totaling US$300,000 aimed at helping GFN and its global network alleviate hunger and reduce food waste through food banking.
A portion of the grant funds will help GFN launch and support food banks around the world. GFN currently connects food banks in 34 countries and is in the process of developing additional resources to help improve the operations of programs that provide millions of meals to hungry people while reducing food waste.
According to GFN, strengthening and launching more food banks around the globe remains a key opportunity to further combat hunger and reduce food waste worldwide. “The generosity of General Mills will enable us to further our mission to help our network develop programs to get more food to the 795 million people who are chronically hungry in our world,” said GFN President and CEO, Lisa Moon. “We are grateful to the General Mills Foundation for its longstanding partnership and support.
Through support from the General Mills Foundation, GFN will also grant funds to FareShare, its certified member in the United Kingdom. FareShare will use the funds to expand its food redistribution services across the UK. Last year, FareShare redistributed the equivalent of 17.7 million meals to those in need through nearly 2,300 charities and community groups, such as homeless shelters and children’s breakfast clubs.
“What GFN and FareShare are doing is so much more than hunger relief,” said Nicola Dixon, associate director of the General Mills Foundation, “they are redefining the community food landscape by connecting and working in very innovative ways to ensure surplus food goes to feeding the hungry, rather than to the landfill,” Dixon said. “Both FareShare and The Global FoodBanking Network exemplify the human and environmental impact that’s possible when we engage all participants of the community’s food system in improving food security,” Dixon said.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare, said the grant will enable the UK nonprofit to access more surplus food from retailers and manufacturers, and to develop the capacity of three regional food centers so they can support more charities that are working on the frontlines of hunger. “On behalf of all the charities and community groups that we work with, we would like to thank The Global FoodBanking Network for this funding, made possible by the General Mills Foundation,” Boswell said.
About The Global FoodBanking Network
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) is an international nonprofit organization committed to fighting hunger and reducing food waste by creating, supporting, and strengthening food banks and food bank networks around the world. Last year GFN member food banks rescued 1.2 billion pounds of food and redirected it to feed hungry people through more than 28,000 social service organizations. www.foodbanking.org
About FareShare
FareShare, the UK food redistribution charity, aims to tackle food waste and food poverty by redistributing good food, which would otherwise be wasted, to frontline charities and community groups. This food is then transformed into nutritious meals for vulnerable people. The organisations it supports include breakfast clubs for disadvantaged children, homeless hostels, luncheon clubs for older people and domestic violence refuges, which provide life-changing support alongside food. In 2015, FareShare:
