By Lowcountry Food Bank

LCFB, a member of the Feeding America^® network, is one of 28 member food banks within the 200-food bank network to receive this funding from the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

Lowcountry Food Bankis pleased to announce the receipt of a $75,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to expand food choices. This approach offers families, children and under-resourced communities increased choice at Lowcountry Food Bank's partner agencies and program sites, providing healthy options and ensuring access to foods aligned with preferences and dietary requirements. Now in its second year, this national grant is focused on increasing access to a variety of foods by addressing barriers that families face in their communities, like transportation issues and food cost, and enhancing their experience through choice while maintaining COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

Since the start of the pandemic, food insecurity has significantly affected families with children, especially those in rural communities and communities of color. According to Feeding America, the racial inequity in coastal South Carolina (difference in poverty rate between Non-White and White residents) is significant at 14.4%, and the impacts of COVID-19 are making matters worse as it disproportionately affects Black and Latinx populations. According to the USDA, Black and Latinx households have been disproportionately impacted by food insecurity, with food insecurity rates triple and double the rate of White households.

Morgan Stanley has a long-standing commitment to helping communities facing hunger and has provided more than $41.7 million over the last decade to Feeding America, to support hunger-relief programs that deliver food assistance and healthy meals to children and families across the country.

LCFB, a member of the Feeding America^® network, is one of 28 member food banks within the 200-food bank network to receive this funding from the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

The LCFB will utilize this grant funding to purchase nutritious food to enhance the food provided at five existing LCFB School Markets in under-resourced communities in Hampton, Colleton, Jasper and Williamsburg counties, including the equipment needed to distribute perishable food, such as produce, meat, and dairy, and the supplies needed to produce nutritious prepared meals. In addition, the LCFB will purchase food to stock the shelves of two Client-Choice pantries, serving families with children, and new freezers to increase their capacity to distribute perishable food, including meat, in Williamsburg and Georgetown counties. LCFB School Markets eliminate potential barriers to food access that can hinder a child's ability to acquire the food needed for them to live healthy, active lives.

Feeding America will support member food banks in identifying appropriate ways to engage neighbors experiencing food insecurity during the expansion of food choices.

"This grant helps us provide equitable food access to families, especially in rural areas, who may otherwise have a hard time getting to a food pantry," said Nick Osborne, LCFB President and CEO. "We are grateful to the Morgan Stanley Foundation for their generosity and we appreciate their commitment to provide children and their families with access to nutritious food as a crucial part of their mission."

Feeding America will support member food banks in identifying appropriate ways to engage neighbors experiencing food insecurity during the expansion of food choices. In addition, the organization will engage in a formal evaluation process to better understand how increasing choice affects children and their families.

"The Morgan Stanley Foundation has been dedicated for over half a century to ensureing children receive a healthy start to live, and we're proud to support the Feeding America network to offer increased choice to families experiencing food insecurity," said Joan Steinberg, Managing Director, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. "Millions of people experience food insecurity in the United States, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic, and we are pleased to work with Feeding American to help fight hunger and support children and families in innovative ways."

Morgan Stanley has a long-standing commitment to helping communities facing hunger and has provided more than $41.7 million over the last decade to Feeding America, to support hunger-relief programs that deliver food assistance and healthy meals to children and families across the country. To learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger, visitlowcountryfoodbank.org.