The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation Announces COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation has launched an Emergency COVID-19 Response Fund to help families disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

The Kroger Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation is a public charity that was founded in 2018 with the goal of helping create communities that are free of hunger and waste. The reality is that 40% of our food is thrown away, while 1 in 8 Americans struggle with issues related to food insecurity and hunger. The Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation supports both nonprofit organizations and for-profit social enterprises that help in curbing America’s food waste..

In response to COVID-19, “The Foundation” has announced its Emergency COVID-19 Fund to help families that are disaffected by the Coronavirus pandemic. As an organization committed to combating hunger and waste, this current moment is one where both are at extraordinary highs. With food pantry lines at the longest they have ever been in our nation’s history, the reality for so many Americans is that this pandemic will be the reason for many that face food insecurity. For such reasons, the mission of The Kroger Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation is as important as it has ever been..

Currently, the foundation has provided upwards of $6 million to nonprofit partners that are at the helm of COVID-19 relief efforts, the breakdown of these funds includes:

• $1.5 million each to Feeding America and No Kid Hungry for a total of $3 million. These funds will help quickly provide resources to food-insecure communities. This funding includes support to local food banks and organizations that provide meals to children out of school.
• $250k to Meals on Wheels to ensure that frozen and shelf-stable meals are replenished, as well as the cost of transportation and personnel, and telephone assurance to help check in on isolated senior citizens.
• $250k to the Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s COVID-19 Regional Response Fund.
• $200k to the Sunshine Division Emergency Food Box Program, which ensures meal deliveries to disaffected families in the city of Portland.
• $50k to Benefits Data Trust, an organization that helps remove barriers to employment benefits access.

.Customers can support the initiative by rounding up to the nearest 1, 5, or 10 dollars at checkout lanes in Grocery Stores and gas stations, as well as support the initiative directly at ZeroHungerZeroWasteFoundation.org..

Additionally, The Foundation also has accelerated almost $400,000 in funding to a portfolio of social enterprises, of which, Seal The Seasons is proudly a part of. Our share of the money that is received will go towards helping family farms in badly-hit parts of the country, such as the North East and Pacific North West. Additionally, we aim to reduce vegetable food waste that is a result of a lack of fresh produce demand due to the pandemic. Other companies in the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Innovation Fund are

• Ripe Revival (Greenville, NC): Ripe Revival is testing a food delivery service and subscription-based seasonal service that sources produce from local farmers. With their share of the grant, Ripe Revival plans to add new product lines such as shelf-stable pouches of soups, sauces, smoothies, and meals.
• Food Forest (Cincinnati, OH): Food Forest will use their funding to support Meals on Wheels Online Grocery Delivery, and ensure that seniors have access to nutritious food during the pandemic.
• Imperfect Foods (San Francisco, CA): Imperfect Foods will use their grant money to expand their Reduced Cost Box Program, which provides 33% discounts on boxes of fresh produce delivered directly to people’s homes.
• Replate (Oakland, CA): Replate uses community partners to deliver food to people’s homes, with a priority to those that are unable to leave home safely during the pandemic. This funding will allow for them to redistribute food in certain markets to places where families are experiencing food insecurity.

.Finally, Kroger and its entire family of companies will begin accepting SNAP/EBT as a payment form for its pickup service, which will provide more opportunities to customers in need of access to fresh and affordable food..

To learn more about The Kroger Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, visit ZeroHungerZeroWaste.org for more information.

(info via Yahoo Finance)