From People’s United Bank:
The People’s United Community Foundation, the philanthropic arm of People’s United Bank, announced today that it has awarded $5,000 to Wholesome Wave Foundation Charitable Ventures (Wholesome Wave).
Wholesome Wave inspires underserved consumers to make healthier food choices by increasing affordable access to fresh, local and regional food. Wholesome Wave is a partner of the Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative (BFMC), serving more than 2,500 low- and moderate-income Bridgeport residents. Wholesome Wave has joined with the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, the City of Bridgeport, Bridgeport Downtown Special Services District, and the managers of the seven Bridgeport farmers markets taking place throughout the city this year.
According to statistics, many Bridgeport residents lack access to healthy, affordable food in their communities, and in some neighborhoods, two-thirds of residents are food insecure. The Farmers Markets help meet community demand for healthy food by accepting federal benefits and implementing nutrition incentive programs, which increase the value of these federal benefits when spent on healthy, fresh, locally grown food.
Funding from People’s United Community Foundation will help double the value of federal nutrition benefit (e.g. SNAP) dollars that Bridgeport residents can utilize to purchase fresh produce at each of the seven Farmers Markets operating throughout the city of Bridgeport, from July through October.
“The Bridgeport Farmers Market Collaborative is providing easy to access, low-cost healthy food options, which is essential to ensuring that Bridgeport residents are getting the nutritional items they need,” stated Karen Galbo, Director of People’s United Community Foundation.
For more information on the seven Bridgeport Farmers Markets, including dates and locations, visit bridgeportfarmersmarkets.org.
About People’s United Community Foundation
Established in 2007, People’s United Community Foundation was formed to help support programs and activities that enhance the quality of life for citizens in the communities that People’s United Bank serves. People’s United Bank, founded in 1842 and serving customers from New York to Maine through a network of more than 400 branches, is the largest independent bank headquartered in New England. The funding priorities of the Foundation include affordable housing, community development, and youth development.
About Wholesome Wave
Wholesome Wave is a nonprofit working to make locally grown fruits and vegetables more affordable for the people who need it most. When people can afford produce, they buy it. And when the millions of Americans struggling with poverty eat more fruits and vegetables, we see immediate improvements for families and farmers—and enormous long-term gains for public health, local economies, and the environment. Our innovative initiatives serve more than 156,000 under-served consumers, as well as thousands of farmers annually, in 42 states and counting. For more information, please visit www.wholesomewave.org.
