PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded $180,000 in emergency grants to restock food pantries across the Ocean State.
The grants were sparked by the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s 2019 Report on Hunger, which noted that Rhode Islanders in need missed 11 million meals last year, as well as to address proposed cuts to federal safety net programs that could threaten to overwhelm the state’s food pantries.
“While we continue to pursue long-term solutions to poverty, we also support these organizations in providing immediate and critical assistance to struggling Rhode Islanders,” said Neil D. Steinberg, the foundation’s CEO and president.
“The economy is strong, with low unemployment, but there are still thousands of Rhode Islanders who cannot afford three healthy meals a day. Demand for food assistance remains high at our member agencies as families struggle to afford basic household expenses,” said Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, which received $50,000.
The funding will help the food bank acquire 150,000 pounds of food, enough to provide 185,000 additional meals. The organization will buy staples, such as baked beans, rice, tomato soup, fresh produce, canned carrots, corn and peas for member agencies such as the East Bay Food Pantry in Bristol, Progreso Latino in Central Falls, the R.I. Center Assisting those in Need in Charlestown and the West Warwick Senior Center Pantry.
Also receiving grants from the foundation are the Comprehensive Community Action Program in Cranston, Connecting Children and Families in Woonsocket, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, the East Bay Community Action Program in East Providence, the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown and the Jonnycake Center of Westerly.
Cassius Shuman is a staff writer and researcher for the PBN. He can be reached at shuman@pbn.com.
