Food Finders Food Bank receives grant from S.L. Gimbel Foundation

Food Finders Food Bank announced it received a grant for $100,000 from S.L. Gimbel Foundation, a component fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation. This donation will provide an estimated 50,000 individuals with nutritious dairy products such as milk and cheese.

During Food Finders’ 2020 fiscal year, the Fresh Market distributed more than three million meals to families in need. Food Finders Food Bank’s Fresh Market is a low-barrier, emergency food resource designed to simulate a typical grocery store experience. The goal of the Fresh Market is to eliminate food insecurity by connecting people to food immediately and by connecting people to resources for the long-term.

“With the rapidly increasing cost of food It is very exciting to have this large grant to purchase nutritious dairy products for the Fresh Market, says Food Finders’ President/CEO Katy Bunder. “We strive to have nutritious food; meat, dairy, eggs, and produce. When families come to the Fresh Market we can offer help with nutrition classes, benefit applications, and job skills training. The SL Gimble grant makes it easier for Food Finders to accomplish this important work.”

This grant will provide dairy products such as milk and cheese and help to maintain a consistent supply of these high-demand items. Dairy products are reported by those served at the food bank to be very important to their families, and often difficult to access due to low availability from other emergency resources and high costs at the grocery store. The ability to access free, fresh products such as dairy, protein and produce, along with shelf –stable foods, through the Fresh Market is a major draw and a relief to thousands facing hunger.

When families access the Fresh Market for their food needs, they are connected with a resource coordinator.  Food Finders’ team of resource coordinators meet with people seeking assistance to determine what issues the household is facing outside of food insecurity, and connect them to community resources that can help them address these barriers. Resource coordinators can assist with challenges such as housing, utilities, childcare, transportation, and other basic necessities.

Support from the S.L. Gimbel Foundation helps Food Finders not only provide nourishing meals to meet the immediate needs of individuals facing food insecurity, but also helps empower these inviduals to achieve greater household stability and self-sufficiency.