Daniel Prince
Equitable Food Access grant will help with school and community gardens, FoodShare, and more
The Walmart Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation have launched a new program to expand access to healthy, affordable food in under-resourced communities, with an intentional focus on the Southeast region. A Union County organization will benefit from the Equitable Food Access grant program, which is giving a total of $1.5 million to eight community-based nonprofits led by people of color. Funding ranges from $102,000 to $111,000 each. The RobinHood Group in Union will receive one of the grants. The money will help its mission to increase the availability and knowledge of locally and regionally grown produce through community and school gardens, FoodShare produce boxes, nutrition education, and agriculture-based enterprises like Farmers Market Flavors ice creams, now known as “Fru-ge-ley: More Than Ice Creams.”
The RobinHood Group in Union won grant funding alongside efforts in much larger cities—Houston, Phoenix, Jacksonville (FL), Atlanta, Honolulu, Memphis, and Louisville. The group, led by Elise Ashby, plans to install seven school and community gardens in the coming year or two. Ashby said, “We are working to encourage, promote, and expand agriculture-based enterprises, healthy eating habits, and social mobility. This grant will expand our capacity to provide locally grown, fresh produce and healthy snacks to so many more people.”