LISC receives first-time grant from Newman's Own Foundation to boost nutrition in low-income areas

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Newman's Own Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to support community kitchens that will expand access to healthy food in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

This grant is the Foundation's first to LISC and part of its two-year, $7 million commitment to innovative programs that are helping to advance nutrition awareness, education and fresh food access.

"There is great momentum right now in addressing the many challenging issues around nutrition," said Lisa Walker, managing director of Newman's Own Foundation. "We are pleased to award a grant to LISC to support their important contributions in this area."

LISC is the leading national nonprofit focused on reviving distressed communities. It drives innovative programs and resources to high-need neighborhoods to make them better places to live, work, do business, and raise families. Health is an important component of that approach.

With the Newman's Own Foundation grant LISC will support the efforts of four nonprofit community partners to deliver more healthy food options in underserved neighborhoods: St. Paul's east side, mid-north Indianapolis, Roseburg, Ore., and Marvell, Ark. The additional resources mean these programs will touch more than 22,000 people.

In St. Paul, for instance, LISC will help Urban Roots install a new commercial kitchen that will provide young people with hands-on cooking classes and training in the food business. And in Roseburg, LISC is supporting NeighborWorks Umpqua's commercial kitchen renovation, which will double the number of farmers who can rent kitchen space to store fresh produce and make it more available to local families.

"At LISC we know that families need fresh food as much as they need good schools, decent housing, safe streets and good jobs. It is essential to their quality of life," said Amy Gillman, director of LISC's National Community Health Initiative.

Paul Newman, the actor and philanthropist who founded Newman's Own, passed away on September 26, 2008. Now, five years later, his legacy continues as Newman's Own continues to give away 100 percent of the profits and royalties from the sale of its food products to charity. Since the company's founding in 1982, more than $380 million has been donated to thousands of organizations, with $125 million having been donated in the past five years alone.

About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has invested $12.9 billion to build or rehab 298,300 affordable homes and apartments and develop 49 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. LISC's National Community Health Initiative is part of LISC's broader strategy to help low-income people live better by increasing access to healthy food, promoting opportunities for safe recreation and play and improving access to affordable health care.  For more, visit www.lisc.org.

Contact: Amy Gillman, LISC
212-455-9840 or [email protected]

SOURCE LISC