Morgan Stanley Grant Expands Food Bank Produce Program

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley has received a new grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to support the food bank’s fresh produce program. The funds will be used to increase the food bank’s ability to access, transport and store fresh produce and provide fruits and vegetables for local residents.

“We are proud to continue our commitment of providing fresh produce to children and their families. This grant will make healthy foods available to those who might otherwise not have access to them,” said Joan Steinberg, global head of philanthropy at Morgan Stanley and president of the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

Food insecurity continues to be an issue facing millions of Americans, noted Michael Iberis, executive director of the Second Harvest Food Bank. According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture released in September, 41 million people in the United States are living in food-insecure households, 13 million of whom are children.

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, a member of Feeding America, assists 148 hunger-relief programs in the three-county area. These include church pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, shelters for battered women, and after-school programs. In 2017, the Food Bank distributed 10.6 million pounds of food, including more than 3 million pounds of produce.

Pictured at top: Jeff Barone, Philip Volpe-Monrean, Scott Zoldan, Laura Kramer, Alyssa Kellar, Gabriel Tolesani.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.