Before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida, were already facing food insecurity. Cultivate Abundance was working hard to help keep them fed, with a focus on fresh produce. When the crisis hit, the need for food increased, and the organization had to find new ways of working with fluctuating food supply chains.
Many organizations have had to move to shelf-stable food donations in the face of the pandemic, but with a grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation -- as a part of the Foundation’s $1.25 million in emergency funding to organizations on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic-- Cultivate Abundance has been able to continue to provide fresh fruits and vegetables. In order to make these healthy perishables available, the non-profit team has been utilizing its own garden, a network of local gardens, and has also purchased fresh produce from farmers who are seeing a decline in business due to restaurant closures.
Cultivate Abundance is also helping the community become more self-sufficient through the creation and distribution of container gardens, five-gallon buckets with perennial vegetables and sheet pans with leafy greens. These will allow food-insecure individuals and families to have their own gardens at home, and direct access to fresh food.
“We’re so thankful to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation for this grant, which has enabled us to help feed even more food-insecure farmworkers,” said Ellen Burnette, Founder of Cultivate Abundance. “Being able to offer fresh produce directly to the doorsteps of in-need families during this time of crisis has made such a difference in our community.”
You can help support organizations like the Cultivate Abundance by donating to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s COVID-19 relief fund on our website at www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.com.
To-date, through funding provided by Dunkin’, its franchisees, and its Foundation, hundreds of thousands of complimentary cups of coffee, donuts, Keurig® K-Cup pods, and Dunkin’ gift cards were delivered to more than 300 hospitals and emergency sites, and counting. Let’s keep going. Want to thank a local hero for all that they do? Send them a Dunkin’ e-gift card at DunkinCoffeeBreak.com. For every card sent, Dunkin’ will donate $1, up to $100,000, to the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation emergency funds, specifically for non-profits helping families affected by COVID-19. For more information on the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, please visit bringjoy.org.
Stay informed on our response to COVID-19 here and follow the stories of how our Dunkin’ community is coming together to keep America running here.
What acts of kindness have you seen in your local community? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To stay up to date on all things Dunkin’, sign up for our email news alerts at news.dunkindonuts.com/alerts.
