Two Canadian non-profit groups have partnered on a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of producing 50,000 snack bags for hungry children in Edmonton, Alberta.
The organizations, Fruits of Sherbrooke and E4C, have two weeks left to raise their CAD$17,000 goal for Project: Fruit Stars. They are fundraising for commercial equipment, kitchen supplies and packaging materials to produce dehydrated apple chips that will be used in a school nutrition program during Edmonton’s harsh winter, when local fresh apples are not available.
According to the Social Planning Council’s 2015 Poverty Profile, one in five children in Edmonton live in poverty and about 40 percent of the people served by Edmonton’s Food Bank in a typical month are children and youth under the age of 18.
Fruits of Sherbrooke collects fruit from the cities of Edmonton, St. Albert and Sherwood Park that are not being used by tree owners (with their permission). The organization has used rescued fruits to make products such as jams, jellies, and condiments since 2010. Last year, Fruits of Sherbrooke diverted 15,000kg of rescued, locally grown apples to food programs in Edmonton.
“Feeding the hungry with rescued local fruit has always been our goal,” said Fruits of Sherbrooke president Christina Piecha. “The funds raised through Kickstarter.com will finally make it possible to feed those who need it the most. We are very fortunate to partner with E4C on Project: Fruit Stars, nurturing our community together and building better futures for everyone.”
E4C has worked to mitigate poverty in Edmonton through various programs for over 40 years. E4C’s School Nutrition Program will be used to distribute the products made as part of Project: Fruit Stars. The program provides a breakfast or mid-morning snack to over 5,600 students in 23 high-needs schools every school day.
Through its partnership with Fruits of Sherbrooke, the organization aims for thousands of children to benefit from nutritious snacks this winter and in future years. The campaign will be active on Kickstarter until September 17, 2015.
Here in the States, California-based Imperfect recently crowdfunded its startup capital to launch a CSA (community-supported agriculture) delivery service of “cosmetically challenged produce” in San Francisco’s East Bay; the startup then partnered with grocery chain Raley’s on an initiative called “Real Good,” aimed at espousing the virtues of less-than-pretty produce. In July, Raley’s began selling aesthetically imperfect produce at a lower price point at 10 Northern California locations.