Harvest Hope Food Bank Receives $100K Equitable Food Access Grant from Starbucks to Continue Harvest to Home Market Program

Harvest Hope Food Bank received an additional $100,000 from Starbuck in support of the equitable food access grant to continue to help increase access to nutritious food among households with individuals who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residing in communities experiencing high food insecurity rates in South Carolina. In 2021, Starbuck provided an initial $100,000 investment in support of the food bank's efforts. Harvest Hope will use this grant to build on the work it completed during the first year and will continue to engage local communities to better understand the barrier to accessing food and support new or expand interventions that can help overcome these obstacles.

“The COVID-19 pandemic really put a spotlight on the state of hunger in our nation,” says Erinn Rowe, Harvest Hope CEO. “We are proud to work with Starbucks toward our shared goals of addressing the root causes of hunger. With this grant, we’ll be able to continue to identify and address racial disparities in our communities.”

"The lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing effects of inflation have caused an increased need for the services that we provided to those facing food insecurity," says Erinn Rowe, Harvest Hope CEO. "We're proud to continue our work and partnership with Starbucks with the shared goal of addressing the root causes of hunger. With this grant, we'll be able to continue the work that we've started in meeting individuals where they are while also shining a light on the racial disparities within our communities."

Across the 20 counties that it serves, Harvest Hope hopes to use this grant to further expand the Harvest to Home Market Program to address food insecurity in rural parts of the state where food deserts are prevalent. In areas such as these, healthy, nutritious food might be hard for residents to obtain - with Harvest Hope's help that need will be met right where they are.

"Starbucks believes it is our role and responsibility to help support thriving, resilient and sustainable communities. In partnership with Feeding America, we are tackling hunger with a focus on equity," said Michael Kobori, vice president of social impact and chief sustainability officer at Starbucks. " The equitable food access grants are a unique opportunity to increase access to nutritious food for people that need it most."

Harvest Hope, a member of the Feeding America network, is one of 16 food banks to receive this second grant from Starbucks. Harvest Hope was identified based on the location of a Starbucks Community Store which are committed to economic development and opportunity in historically under-resourced communities. Since 2016, Starbucks has helped to provide more than 50 million meals* to people facing hunger through its FoodShare program in partnership with Feeding America. 

To learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger, visit harvesthope.org/get-involved