Harvard Pilgrim foundation awards $37K to four Maine food initiatives
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation announced Wednesday it has awarded almost $37,000 in new “Healthy Food for Every Age” grants to four nonprofit food initiatives in Maine.
The funded programs are among 22 grants totaling $202,950 the foundation awarded to programs in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire that are designed to help older adults eat better and stay connected to their communities through community garden, cooking and nutrition programs.
Grant awards are renewable for one additional year. These new grants bring the total amount of Healthy Food funds awarded in the three states and Connecticut in 2015-2016 to more than $1.6 million.
“Healthy eating habits are important at every age, but they can make a big difference as we get older and our nutritional needs change,” said Karen Voci, president of the Wellesley, Mass.-based foundation. “These grants support programs that bring older adults and young people together to garden and to cook – activities that can help all of us feel better and improve our health and well-being. Learning how to prepare delicious meals using fresh, local produce is fun and healthy at every stage of life.”
Maine grant recipients receiving a total of $36,945 are:
- Falmouth Food Pantry, Falmouth and Greater Portland, $6,945: The grant will be used to install a dripless irrigation system, purchase garden tools, improve pantry access and develop a cookbook. In late 2016, cold frames will be put in the garden.
- Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Sagadahoc and York counties, $10,000: The grant will fund 10, six-week Cooking Matters classes that will help participants shop for and cook healthy meals on a budget. These classes will be held in conjunction with Maine SNAP-Ed. A total of 80 older adults are expected to participate.
SeniorsPlus, Lewiston, $10,000: The grant will fund six cooking classes, with interpretation and written translation, for 10 Somali and other older adult refugees beginning in February 2017 upon completion of a new dining site.
Spectrum Generations, Greater Hallowell, $10,000: Starting in June, the grant will fund four, six-week, chef-led cooking classes featuring local foods that will be designed for grandparents and grandchildren. Enrollment in government food aid programs is part of the initiative.
The foundation has also awarded $240,000 to support mobile farmers’ markets in Worcester and Lowell, Mass., Hartford, Conn., and Lewiston/Auburn. A fifth mobile market is expected to debut this summer in New Hampshire.
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