People need access to fresh food. Food is a critical part of a healthy community. Backing a grocery store is personal: As a high school student employed by Kroger, he had to take the bus or drive from his low-income neighborhood to get to work.
The Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, known in California as Farms Together, pays farmers fair market prices to supply fresh foods directly to local food banks. Since the program launched in January 2024, it has supported 800 farms statewide and fed more than 2 million Californians. It's estimated that LFPA has brought more than $88 million to the California economy, supporting small and mid-size farmers.
Tickets are on sale for the 15th annual Chefs of Compassion: Cooking for a Cause gala on March 27. The fundraiser benefits West Valley Community Services (WVCS), a nonprofit whose programs support low-income and homeless individuals and families in Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga and West San Jose. The evening features top Bay Area chefs competing to create a multi-course meal using ingredients found in the WVCS pantry, where clients receive food. A panel of professional judges chooses the winner; there's also a people's choice award.
The marketing stunt has been launched by Polymarket, a company that has made a name for itself by letting people bet on real-life occurrences, like celebrity news and political events. The Polymarket grocery is scheduled to open on February 12, with passersby able to walk in and pick up groceries without shelling out cash. The idea is that a fully-stocked market won't require any purchase from New Yorkers to access groceries inside the store.
Former San Francisco 49ers and San Jose State quarterback Jeff Garcia returned to his former downtown San Jose stomping grounds Thursday night for an NFL alumni event benefitting two Bay Area nonprofits fighting food insecurity - San Jose's Hunger at Home and San Francisco-based The City Eats.
On Sunday, Zoitas told Fortune, he was at the Knicks game and met some people from the predictions marketplace Kalshi, who offered to pay for an event where shoppers could receive $50 each in free groceries between noon and 3:00 pm. Fortune calculated that, if all 300 or so people in line spent this full allotment, it could cost Kalshi up to $150,000 in groceries.
Tickets are on sale for the 15th annual Chefs of Compassion: Cooking for a Cause gala on March 27. The fundraiser benefits West Valley Community Services (WVCS), a nonprofit whose programs support low-income and homeless individuals and families in Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga and West San Jose. The evening features top Bay Area chefs competing to create a multi-course meal using ingredients found in the WVCS pantry, where clients receive food. A panel of professional judges chooses the winner; there's also a people's choice award.
I think that whenever we have the opportunity to volunteer, we should always take it up, Vijay said. Also, I'm here with my friends, so it's a fun chance to do something nice.
Chefs take surplus food ingredients from the charity's depot next door and turn them into meals. These are then cooked, chilled, packed into boxes and distributed across to the organisations the charity supports. More than 1,200 organisations who are feeding people experiencing food insecurity and food poverty benefit from the work of The Felix Project. Its initial aim was to produce 100,000 meals to feed local families and children throughout the summer holidays, but five years on and it continues to support those in need.
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Now I have no work, I can't provide for my family, he told Al Jazeera, adding that he used to work in the infrastructure and farming sectors. I used to work with an axe to open water channels between the trees, plough the soil around them, spray pesticides, and plant tomatoes and cucumbers. I used to work from 7am to 4pm for 4050 shekels [$13-$15] per day.
The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) - a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative started in 2021 during the pandemic - provided $1 billion annually to help food banks, schools and nonprofits nationwide purchase produce from farmers. Unlike surplus or blemished produce donated to food banks from wholesale distributors, large farms and grocery stores, the federal program provided low-income families with fresh, even organic, fruits and vegetables.
Black Trans Liberation Kitchen describes the work it carries out for the community as solidarity, not charity. On Christmas Eve (24 December) the organisation hosted its festive event at Judson Memorial Church next to Washington Square Park and served classic dishes like roast chicken, mashed potato and sweet potato pie. The church is is known for being highly inclusive, focusing on social justice, diversity, and affirming marginalised groups, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals.
Dressed in red suits and backed by masked elves, a group of Santas marched into a Montreal supermarket, loaded their bags with thousands of dollars worth of groceries and disappeared into the night. The bandit Santas later released a statement saying the food would be distributed to the needy, and saying the Robin Hood-style stunt was intended to highlight the spiralling cost of living crisis that has pushed basic necessities increasingly out of reach for ordinary Canadians.
The volunteers at the Coney Island Lighthouse Mission food bank have it down to a science, serving more than 7,000 families a month for the past 25 years. "Twice a month because I'm [a] widow who's disabled and [on a] minimum pension, [It's] helped me do my life," said Serafema, a long-time recipient. But executive director of the mission, Pastor Tony Robbins, warns that without $100,000 in emergency funding, the pantry could be forced to shut down in January.
UN warns 17 million people in Afghanistan face acute food insecurity. Devastated by decades of war and instability, Afghanistan is facing a multitude of crises. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, it's been subjected to international sanctions. Now, once again, Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. The World Food Programme says it's unable to provide assistance to millions of Afghans.
Solomon Smith said he founded the charity with money from his job as a youth worker after being unable to secure funding for the project. He began helping others after witnessing poverty among his peers as a child. He said: "We got cooked meals every day. It's not until I was actually going to my friend's house, when I realised poverty. I realised that if they didn't go out and steal, they were not eating."
The Healey-Driscoll administration announced Thursday that it would award more than $750,000 in grants to address food insecurity in underserved communities. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will award $779,458 in funding to 17 organizations through the state's Urban Agriculture Program (UAP) and the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program (MFVP). The grants support the growth of urban farms, community gardens, and food business operations, the MDAR said in a statement.
Ninety-seven percent of households in Sudan's capital are facing food shortages, and the healthcare system has largely collapsed across the city, according to an assessment that reveals the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe gripping the war-torn country. The report, released this week by the humanitarian organisations Medical Teams International and Norwegian Church Aid, found that three-quarters of families in Khartoum consume fewer than 1,800 calories daily.
Between childcare, classes, and everyday expenses, money gets tight fast for Pablo Martinez. That's why he relies on Cougar Cupboard, a food pantry at the University of Houston. The Cougar Cupboard, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, gives students access to fresh groceries and pantry staples. For student parents like Martinez, it's one less thing to worry about. "The Houston Food Bank is helping my family and I relieving some of that stress that a lot of families feel," Martinez said.
Real Ale Brewing Co. is partnering with Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks, to support Texans experiencing food insecurity this holiday season. Real Ale has designed a limited-release version of its popular Axis IPA with a camo design in honor of the collaboration. A portion of the proceeds from each purchase of the special edition Real Ale Axis IPA six-pack will benefit Feeding Texas' Hunters for the Hungry program. The Axis camo can collaboration beer is available in stores, including H-E-B, Total Wine and more across Texas. Real Ale Axis IPA also can be ordered on draught throughout Texas. And is available at the Real Ale Taproom and Beer Garden in Blanco, along with their lineup of other delicious brews.
Food prices in Canada could increase by four to six per cent next year, largely driven by pricier meat products, according to a forecast by researchers at Dalhousie University. Beef in particular is expected to get more expensive, potentially rising seven per cent, as cattle sizes shrink (those markets are susceptible to tariffs) and more ranchers leave the industry, said the research team behind Canada's Food Price Report. Tightened beef supply is expected to last through 2027, though the country has upped its import volume to deal with those challenges, according to the forecast.
Auset was fresh out of college and living on a vegan diet. Her neighborhood largely lacked healthful options, and she wound up commuting two hours round-trip by bus to buy nutritious food that fit her budget as a recipient of federal food aid. "You spend all of this time on the bus, get somewhere that has healthy food and then you're having to debate with yourself: Can I afford this apple?" Auset recalled.
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