RALEIGH – Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (IFFS) announced a $13,250 grant from Caterpillar’s philanthropic organization, the Caterpillar Foundation, to provide food to individuals who face hunger in Wake and Johnston Counties. A member of the Feeding America network, IFFS is one of 35 food banks nationwide to receive this grant.
"Our work has taught us that all of us must work together to solve the problems of hunger in our communities,” said Jill Staton Bullard, IFFS CEO and Co-Founder. "We applaud and thank the Caterpillar Foundation for this generous support which allows us to get more nutritious foods to those in need in Wake and Johnston Counties."
Each year, 49 million people in the United States face hunger, including 158,840 in Wake and Johnsto n Counties. In North Carolina, 1-in-5 adults, and 1-in-4 children face food insecurity. This grant will fund IFFS programs that serve individuals directly, such as BackPack Buddies and Mobile Markets.
“The Caterpillar Foundation is committed to alleviating poverty. We are proud to partner with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle to support individuals in Wake and Johnston Counties who may not know where their next meal will come from,” said Michele Sullivan, president of the Caterpillar Foundation.
The Caterpillar Foundation’s current investment of $1 million will help to address hunger surrounding Caterpillar communities in 49 counties. The Foundation has invested $3.5 million dollars in Feeding America member food banks since 2013.
In 2014, IFFS fed over 57,000 adults and children per month, including an average of over 8,000 people per month at Mobile Markets and almost 2,000 children weekly via BackPack Buddies. For more information about Inter-Faith Food Shuttle go to: http://www.foodshuttle.org/.
About Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s programs overcome the two barriers that cause hunger: lack of access to nutritious food and lack of sufficient income to purchase healthy food. Using food as a tool, IFFS empowers people facing hunger to change their lives and their communities through education programs in nutrition, growing food in food deserts, and culinary job skills. Our focus on fresh produce and nutrition education works to lessen health problems that disproportionately affect communities living without sufficient nutritious food. We Feed. We Teach. We Grow. www.FoodShuttle.org
About the Caterpillar Foundation Founded in 1952, Caterpillar's philanthropic organization, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed more than $600 million to help make sustainable progress possible around the world by providing program support in the areas of environmental sustainability, access to education and basic human needs. To learn more about the global impact of the Caterpillar Foundation, please visit www.caterpillarfoundation.org