Category: News

11/18/2015 – National Public Radio:

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11/6/2015 – WPRI TV: The economy may be improving, but the need to feed struggling families continues to be high. The Rhode Island Community Food Bank distributes almost ten million pounds of food every year to families in need. Exclusive statistics obtained by Eyewitness News suggest that families often have to chose between paying their utilities or buying food, despite the fact that unemployment is improving in Rhode Island. More

October 15, 2015 – Business Wire:  Ford Motor Company is expanding its commitment in New England by launching a new philanthropic initiative with local dealers that will include $2 million to fight hunger across the region.  Ford  Motor Company Fund, the charitable arm of Ford Motor Company, will provide support, including vehicles, to 10 food banks in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont over five years. Ford is working with Feeding America^®, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, in connection with its outreach in New England. Ford Motor Company Fund, the charitable arm of Ford Motor Company, will provide support, including vehicles, to 10 food banks in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont over five years. Ford is working with Feeding America^®, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization, in connection with its outreach in New England.  More

9/24/2015 – Warwick Post:  Two Girl Scouts spent 24 hours fasting and living in cardboard boxes to get an up-close look at the plight of hungry and homeless Rhode Islanders, and built a Silver Award project — signifying the second-highest achievement for Girl Scouts — recounting their experiences. Julia Gervais and Brooke Messier, both 14, whose troop is part of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England headquartered in Warwick, also volunteered at the Rhode Island Food Bank and area food pantries, which “really opened my eyes because hunger and homelessness are so much bigger than I originally believed they were,” as Gervais wrote in her report.

9/11/2015 – Rhode Island National Public Radio: A new initiative of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute at Brown University aims to bring more fresh fruits and vegetables into low income neighborhoods.  The initiative, called “Food on the Move,” will create a mobile farmer’s market, sending trucks full of fresh produce into low income, urban neighborhoods and housing complexes throughout Rhode Island. There, shoppers who receive food stamps, or SNAP benefits, can buy two dollars’ worth of produce for every one SNAP dollar. That’s thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  More

7/19/2015 – HBO, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 

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June 24, 2015:  USA Today
American households throw away about $640 each worth of food every year, and consumers don’t really care about the environmental impact of trashed leftovers piling up in landfills, according to a survey out Wednesday from the American Chemistry Council. At a time when Americans may be more attuned than ever to the chemical makeup of food, buying organic and sourcing locally, they’re still struggling to avoid throwing a lot of food away, data show.
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The Rhode Island Food Policy Council (RIFPC) is pleased to announce that federal Farm Bill funds have been secured for Rhode Island through a multi-pronged collaboration to support increased access to fruits and vegetables for the food insecure of Rhode Island, while also benefitting small and mid-sized farmers in the region. Last week, Rhode Island celebrated USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s announcement of $31.5 million granted through the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program (FINI). Rhode Island received two grants through this funding stream, an impressive accomplishment for the smallest state in the nation.  More

My NightOutRadio broadcast with Steve Maciel from the 1 of 52 Hunger Network. More