Walmart Foundation Grant Award
Contact:
Robert Klaus, Serafin & Associates
312-943-1955 or robert@serafin.com
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry Celebrates $30,000 Grant
from Walmart Foundation
Funds will support Nutrition Education Program
Forest Park Walmart Store Manager Eric Hyde (far right) presents the check to the staff of
Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
Oak Park, IL (Sept. 21, 2017) – In recognition of September as Hunger Action Month, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry celebrated a $30,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation at a check presentation ceremony today. The grant supports the Food Pantry’s Nutrition Education Program, where clients can receive on-site nutrition education sessions when they come to shop at the Food Pantry.
“The Nutrition Education Program is one of the cornerstones of the Pantry because it helps provide the knowledge and tools that people need to make real change in their own lives,” said Michele Zurakowski, Executive Director of the Pantry. “This grant from the Walmart Foundation is going to make a big difference in helping our clients live better.”
The Nutrition Education Program is available to all clients who come to the Pantry – roughly 15,000 households per year. Pantry dietitians, interns and volunteers present on a nutrition topic and engage audience members in sharing how the topic relates to them. After each overview, clients may meet with the dietitian to learn more about the topic or discuss how their own health issues relate. At least twice a month, a food demonstration and samples are offered as well. Often a particular food item is featured and shoppers are provided recipes that feature that ingredient.
The grant was presented to Zurakowski by Forest Park Walmart Store Manager Eric Hyde during a staff meeting this morning.
“The Walmart Foundation is dedicated to giving people access to a better life. Organizations like Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry are instrumental in making that happen,” said Store Manager Hyde. “We know that hunger is a reality for many families and, through this grant, we hope to help eliminate the barriers that make it difficult to get enough healthy food to thrive.”
The Walmart Foundation supports organizations that create opportunities so people can live better, awarding grants that have a long-lasting, positive impact on communities across the United States.
To be considered for support, prospective grantee organizations must submit applications through the Walmart Foundation’s online grant application. Applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in order to meet the program’s minimum eligibility criteria. Additional information about the program’s funding guidelines and application process are available online at www.walmartfoundation.org.
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About Philanthropy at Walmart
By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. Walmart has stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.3 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Through our philanthropy, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are helping people live better by accelerating upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where we operate and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women’s Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmart’s giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.