Employee-nominated grants drive community involvement and impact during Hunger Action Month
CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conagra Brands Foundation has announced the 2025 recipients of its "Nourish Our Community" grants, awarding $330,000 in one-year funding to 21 nonprofits across seven states. In recognition of Hunger Action Month, a time when people nationwide unite to raise awareness and take action against food insecurity, these grants reflect Conagra's commitment to driving positive social impact in the communities where its employees live and work.
For more than 30 years, Conagra's Nourish Our Community grant program has empowered employees to play an active role in philanthropy by nominating nonprofit organizations that tackle food insecurity, cooking skills, nutrition education, healthy lifestyles, and urban agriculture. Each application is carefully reviewed by a cross-functional employee committee that thoughtfully evaluates, discusses, and selects the final grant recipients.
"Each September, our Nourish Our Community grants give employees a hands-on way to strengthen their communities, providing significant grants to support vital nonprofits that assist neighbors who may be struggling with food insecurity," said Robert Rizzo, Senior Director of the Conagra Brands Foundation. "The program not only brings greater awareness to this critical issue, but also channels funding to nonprofits that are driving real and lasting change."
Hunger Action Month, a Feeding America initiative, calls on people across the country to take action against food insecurity in the United States. The Conagra Brands Foundation has a longstanding partnership with Feeding America, taking a holistic approach that combines employee volunteerism, product donations, and cash contributions to address hunger on a national scale.
Through its philanthropic efforts, Conagra supports national research that deepens the understanding of hunger and its impact on vulnerable populations and diverse communities. The Foundation also invests in capacity-building initiatives that strengthen frontline hunger-relief agencies, enabling them to provide greater access to nutritious and culturally relevant foods. Beyond funding, Conagra donates substantial amounts of food, which are distributed through Feeding America's network of 200 food banks nationwide.
More information about each of the "Nourish Our Community" grant recipients can be found below:
AGING WITH SPIRIT (NE)
Project: Meals on Wheels and Together at the Table
The Aging with Spirit Foundation supports the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging's Meals on Wheel's program, which delivers nutritious meals to food insecure older adults. This grant from the Conagra Brands Foundation will provide approximately 1,380 meals over three days of service.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Susan J. – Omaha, NE
ALL PEOPLE'S PANTRY (NE)
Project: Fall/Winter Distribution
Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation will enable All People's Pantry to provide culturally inclusive food for approximately 250 families (over 1,200 individuals) each season, sourcing items primarily from small, immigrant- or refugee-owned grocery stores. This funding will help alleviate hunger while also supporting local businesses and fostering a welcoming community.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employees: Marci A. – Omaha, NE & Russell V. – Omaha, NE
AREA NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER (MN)
Project: Ready to Nourish Our Friends and Neighbors
Funds provided by the Conagra Brands Foundation support the Area Neighborhood Service Center's effort to replenish its pantry with nourishing foods and stock its freezer with protein to meet growing community demand. This initiative ensures that individuals and families facing food insecurity have reliable access to a variety of nutritious options when they need them most.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Laurie S. – Waseca, MN
BELLEVUE TOGETHER (NE)
Project: Holiday Food Boxes
Bellevue Together provides food access for students and families during the two-week holiday school break. The program serves approximately 165 families (475 students) identified through referrals from school counselors and social workers across 21 Bellevue Public Schools. Conagra Brands Foundation funding will help provide two to three food boxes for each family, ensuring these students and their families have nutritious meals when school is not in session.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Tracy S. – Omaha, NE
BENSENVILLE WOOD DALE FOOD PANTRY (IL)
Project: Nourish with Dignity
The Bensenville Wood Dale Pantry serves as a key hunger relief source for DuPage County, providing fresh produce, dairy, meat, and shelf-stable items weekly to more than 200 families, with attention to cultural and medical dietary needs. Funding from the Conagra Brands Foundation will help provide approximately 26,000 meals.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Lizette A. – Chicago, IL
CARE FOR FRIENDS (IL)
Project: Tri-Campus Food Support
The Conagra Brands Foundation grant supports Care for Friends' mission to support food programs for individuals in Chicago experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Through nutritious on-site meals in a welcoming communal setting, a well-stocked pantry, and fresh grocery deliveries to low-income families, Care for Friends ensures consistent access to food and dignity for those most in need.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Madison S. – Chicago, IL
CIRCLE URBAN MINISTIRES (IL)
Project: Rooted in Equity: Hydroponic Garden
Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation supports the Seed 2 Success program, in which youth learn hydroponic farming, culinary skills, and environmental stewardship, producing fresh food for distribution at the food pantry and community meals, linking urgent hunger relief with long-term food justice.
Nominated by Conagra Brand employee: Tim W. – Chicago, IL
CONSCIOUS ALLIANCE (CO)
Project: Feed Kids, Not Landfills
Funding from the Conagra Brands Foundation helps Conscious Alliance rescue and redistribute nutritious meals and snacks to children in the Denver metro area. By reducing food waste and ensuring healthy food reaches those in need, the organization strengthens both the physical and emotional well-being of local children.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Kimmee H. – Denver, CO
FEEDING OUR COMMUNITIES PARTNERS (MN)
Project: Youth Hunger Relief
Feeding Our Communities Partners combats food insecurity among K-12 students by providing nutritious, child-friendly meals during weekends, school breaks, and summer months, serving 35 schools across 7 districts. All food is vetted by a nutrition committee to meet USDA guidelines, ensuring both quality and health. Funding from the Conagra Brands Foundation supports its efforts to reduce youth hunger, helping students arrive at school nourished and ready to learn.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Brittany R. – Mankato, MN
MACOMB FOSTER CLOSET (MI)
Project: Nourish and Sustain: Essential Needs Support
Macomb Foster Closet provides urgent access to food and basic necessities for children in foster care across Michigan, serving more than 2,000 children annually. Funding from the Conagra Brands Foundation strengthens the Nourish & Sustain program, which delivers age-appropriate, culturally relevant food within 24-72 hours of request, easing the burden on caregivers and ensuring children enter care safe, nourished, and supported.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Krystal K. – Macomb, MI
MARIE WILKINSON FOOD PANTRY (IL)
Project: Emergency Food Boxes
Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation will support Emergency Food Boxes, which provides individuals and families in crisis with discreet online ordering of healthy, shelf-stable groceries. Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry partners with schools to ensure timely pickup or delivery for families lacking transportation, alleviating food insecurity and allowing students to focus on learning.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Brenda J. – Chicago, IL
NEW VISIONS HOMELESS SERVICES (IA)
Project: New Visions Food Security Programs
New Visions Homeless Service provides year-round access to nutritious meals through its Community Meal Site, food pantries, mobile food truck, and veteran meal programs, serving more than 16,000 individuals annually across Council Bluffs, IA and Omaha, NE. Support from Conagra Brands Foundation sustains these food security programs, which provide more than 230,000 meals each year.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Eric J. – Omaha, NE
NOURISH MEALS ON WHEELS (CO)
Project: Nourish Meals on Wheels
Funds from the Conagra Brands Foundation will provide approximately 5,000 meals to approximately 50 new clients. Nourish Meals on Wheels enriches the lives of older adults and homebound individuals in South Metro Denver by offering homemade meals tailored to medical needs, paired with wellness checks that promote dignity, health, and independence.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Shirley E. – Chicago, IL
NOURISHING GREATNESS (IL)
Project: Nourishing Greatness
Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation supports Nourishing Greatness' weekend bag program for students experiencing food insecurity. Each week, the program provides approximately 120 students with bags containing four meals and three to four snacks, ensuring consistent nourishment outside of school.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: John K. – St. Elmo, IL
OMAHA FORUS (NE)
Project: Pride Pantry: Healthy Futures
Omaha ForUs addresses the disproportionate effects of poverty and food insecurity on LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa, building an inclusive and equitable community space. Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation will improve food security and nutrition for LGBTQ+ youth and families by funding the Center's food pantry, providing healthy snacks, promoting urban gardening, and developing essential kitchen skills.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employees: Jason H. – Omaha, NE & Emily U. – Omaha, NE
SAVING GRACE PERISHABLE FOOD RESCUE (NE)
Project: Nourishing People, Nurturing the Planet
Saving Grace rescues surplus perishable food from grocery stores, caterers, restaurants, and event venues, then delivers it the same day to hunger relief agencies, keeping nutritious food out of landfills and onto the tables of those in need. Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation strengthens its Nourishing People, Nurturing the Planet initiative, which combines food rescue logistics with community education and their 24/7 Community Fridges which expand access, reduce waste, and promote equity.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Kerstin O. – Omaha, NE
STANDUP FOR KIDS (CA)
Project: Homeless Youth Food Assistance (Orange County, CA)
StandUp for Kids is dedicated to ending the cycle of youth homelessness in local communities across the country. Funding supports the Homeless Youth Food Assistance project, which provides consistent access to nutritious food for youth ages 12-24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The program offers groceries, emergency kits, pantry access, grocery delivery, and meals and snacks through Youth Center programs.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Kelly B. – Irvine, CA
TABLE GRACE CAFE (NE)
Project: Feed the Community with Dignity
The Conagra Brands Foundation grant supports Table Grace Cafe's Feed the Community with Dignity initiative, which combines hunger relief with workforce development. Operating as a pay-what-you-can cafe, Table Grace will serve approximately 2,500 meals with dignity and provide job experience training for four individuals, ensuring every participant contributes while building skills for long-term stability.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Ben S. – Omaha, NE
THE NIGHT MINISTRY (IL)
Project: Outreach Health Ministry
The Night Ministry delivers free healthcare alongside essential resources such as food, clothing, and survival supplies through its mobile health units, street medicine teams and outreach in Chicago. Support from the Nourish Our Community grant ensures that at least 95% of clients receive a nutritious meal during outreach, addressing immediate hunger while building trust that connects individuals experiencing homelessness to long-term housing, healthcare, and supportive services.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Erin D. – Chicago, IL
THE TEEN CENTER (NE)
Project: Healthy Food for Teens
The Teen Center's mission is to promote opportunities for students through in-school, after-school and out-of-school programming that provides education, exposure, and mentorship. With support from the Nourish Our Community grant, the Healthy Food for Teens initiative will provide a rotating menu of nutritious snacks and eight nutrition education workshops, engaging youth in menu design and health tracking to address food insecurity, combat obesity, and foster lifelong healthy habits.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Kristi R. – Omaha, NE
THRIVING TITANS (NE)
Project: Food Pantry
Support from the Conagra Brands Foundation helps strengthen the Food Pantry program at Lewis Central Community Schools, which provides bi-monthly food boxes to approximately 25 families, distributing approximately 700 boxes annually. Each box contains nonperishable items and bread, with grant funding helping to sustain access to fresh meat, milk and eggs, ensuring students and families have the nutrition and stability to thrive academically and personally.
Nominated by Conagra Brands employee: Jana S. – Omaha, NE
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading branded food companies. We combine a 100-year history of making quality food with agility and a relentless focus on collaboration and innovation. The company's portfolio is continuously evolving to satisfy consumers' ever-changing food preferences. Conagra's brands include Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, and many more. As a corporate citizen, we aim to do what's right for our business, our employees, our communities and the world. Headquartered in Chicago, Conagra Brands generated fiscal 2025 net sales of nearly $12 billion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
About Conagra Brands Foundation
Conagra Brands Foundation believes everyone has a right to healthy and nutritious food knowing that food insecurity exists in every U.S. county. The Foundation partners with exceptional national and local nonprofits with high-impact programs located in the communities where we live and work. By focusing our efforts within five areas: Direct Food Access, Cooking Skills, Nutrition Education, Healthy and Active Lifestyles and Urban Agriculture, we are able to be a leader in the fight against food insecurity in North America.
For all media inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]
SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

Newsrooms &
Influencers

Digital Media
Outlets

Journalists
Opted In
Share this article