Feeding South Florida® – the leading hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties – announced today that it will continue to address food insecurity in South Florida with a $100K Equitable Food Access Grant from Starbucks. Feeding South Florida will be using this grant to engage local communities in identifying and addressing racial disparities and supporting interventions to overcome common barriers to food access. The grant will also help Feeding South Florida continue to make data-informed decisions and adjust food access programming based on neighbor feedback. Feeding South Florida also received the Equitable Food Access Grant from Starbucks in 2021 and 2022.
During the first two years of the grant, Feeding South Florida completed 202 neighbor surveys at 15 partner agency locations throughout its service area to better understand the foundational causes of hunger. Feeding South Florida successfully supported 26 distribution events through its mobile pantries and distributed 182,192 meals equating to 218,629 pounds of food, 79% of which was F2E (foods to encourage). The nonprofit organization served 16,397 individuals including 5,466 children.
“We are incredibly grateful to Starbucks for providing us with the Equitable Food Access Grant to help us put food on the table for South Florida families who need it the most,” said Paco Vélez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida. “This third grant will continue to help us increase access to nutritious food among households in communities experiencing high food insecurity rates. This comes at a critical time when the demand for food has increased significantly due to inflation with rising food costs, fuel prices, ballooning insurance premiums and increased housing costs.”
“For the last 50 years and still today, Starbucks believes it is our role and responsibility to help strengthen the communities we serve, and in partnership with Feeding America, we are tackling hunger with a focus on equity,” said Michael Kobori, vice president of Sustainability & Social Impact at Starbucks. “The equitable food access grants are a unique opportunity to combine efforts with our Community Stores across the country – which are designed to support historically under-resourced communities through local partnerships and economic opportunity – to increase access to nutritious food for people that need it most. We are proud to have reached this momentous milestone and of the impact these food banks are making.”
Feeding South Florida, a partner of the Feeding America® network, is one of 16 food banks to receive this third grant from Starbucks. Since 2021, the food bank has received It’s $300,000 in Equitable Food Access Grants. Feeding South Florida was identified based on the location of a Starbucks Community Store which is committed to economic development and opportunity in historically under-resourced communities. Since 2016, Starbucks has helped to provide more than 50 million meals* to people facing hunger through its FoodShare program in partnership with Feeding America.
To learn more about how you can help end hunger, visit https://feedingsouthflorida.org/.
About Feeding South Florida®
Feeding South Florida is a member of the Feeding America® network of food banks and the leading domestic hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Providing support for 25 percent of the state’s food insecure population, its mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger, and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. Feeding South Florida served more than *1.1 million individuals through direct-service programs and a local network of more than 350 nonprofit and community partners. Visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org or call 954.518.1818.
*FY July 2021–June 2022
