Northwest Arkansas Food Bank
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank received a $51,500 grant from the Walmart Foundation to develop solutions to efficiently transport unused food from local food donors to partner agencies, such as food pantries and soup kitchens.
"Each year, 72 billion pounds of perfectly good food goes to waste, yet 40 million Americans face hunger," said Kent Eikenberry, president/CEO at NWA Food Bank "Walmart Foundation's generous support will help us leverage technology and volunteers to engage local businesses in the fight to end hunger."
Northwest Arkansas Food Bank will leverage MealConnect, Feeding America's food donation app, to automate the rescue and distribution of unused perishable food items in a sustainable, cost-effective way. Feeding America developed MealConnect to provide donors a convenient, free and safe way to reduce waste and connect surplus food with people who face hunger.
The program will depend on local Food Recovery volunteers. The volunteers will use their vehicles to pick up items and drop them off at a local pantry or hot meal site from our community partners. The Food Bank will provide the materials to store the food in a food safe manner as well as provide in person training for all volunteers in the program. This model will help increase food recovery in the community and get the food to those in need.
Rogers schools
The American Heart Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, marks 40 years of bringing heart health programs to schools across the country by awarding financial grants to invest in America's schools and help educators make whole-body wellness a priority. In Northwest Arkansas, Northside Elementary and Reagan Elementary schools in Rogers have received nearly $2,400.
Reagan Elementary will get $2,200 for new physical education equipment, and Northside will get $187 for equipment for a walking program.
Michael Cornog, the Reagan physical education teacher who applied for his school's grant, said the money will be used for activities that will bring people to the school and engage families. Friday night picnic dinners and game nights at the school are planned.
"It's part social hour and part being physically active with your kids," Cornog said. "We want to make our school the center of our community - that gathering point for neighbors," he said.
Grant recipients are now able to implement a variety of wellness activities with additions such as physical activity equipment, a mobile salad bar, CPR training resources, water bottle filling stations and educator training opportunities on their campuses.
Help One Now
avad3 Event Production awarded a Production Sponsorship to Help One Now for their Northwest Arkansas Gala Oct. 5 at The Berry Farm in Bentonville. This fundraising gala raises money for education and empowerment initiatives for families in Haiti.
Over the last two years, the avad3 Nonprofit Sponsorship Program has awarded over $91,000 to nonprofit events around the country.
NAN Profiles on 09/08/2019