CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The Lowcountry Food Bank recently announced their receipt of a $75,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation, to reintroduce elements of choice to food distributions.

The choice model aims to provide healthier options and to make sure families have access to preferred foods aligned with their tastes and dietary requirements.

“This grant helps us provide equitable food access to the rural families in our service area who may otherwise have a hard time getting to a food pantry,” said Nick Osborne, Lowcountry Food Bank President & CEO.

One in four children face hunger, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 10 coastal counties served by the Lowcountry Food Bank in 2021.

According to Lowcountry Food Bank, one in five Black, non-Hispanic individuals were at risk of hunger, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This grant is expected to encourage Lowcountry families to choose from fresh, nutritious foods such as produce, protein and diary, and shelf-stable foods. Culturally appropriate items from the food bank’s Zucker Family Production Kitchen.

“We are grateful to the Morgan Stanley Foundation for their generosity,” Osborne adds.

School markets will eliminate possible obstacles, such as transportation and cost, that can hinder children from accessing necessary foods for them to live healthy lives.

“Given the challenges that we’ve seen exacerbated by the pandemic over the past year, we are pleased to build upon our decade long partnership with Feeding America to help fight hunger through this impactful choice model in the communities where we live and work,” says Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley.

Lowcountry Food Bank is a member of the Feeding America® network, and is one of 28 member food banks to receive this funding from the Morgan Stanley Foundation.

To learn more, visit lowcountryfoodbank.org.

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