The holiday season just got a lot brighter for people who rely on local food pantries thanks to grants from the Rhode Island Foundation. Sparked by a new study reporting that thousands of Rhode Islanders are going hungry every day, the foundation has announced special grants supply local food pantries.

“While we continue to pursue long-term solutions to poverty, we also support these organizations in providing immediate and critical assistance to struggling Rhode Islanders,” said Neil D. Steinberg, the foundation’s president and CEO. According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s 2019 Report on Hunger, Rhode Islanders in need missed over 11 million meals this year.

The Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) in Cranston received $35,000 to provide the families it serves with food and housing assistance. Last year, CCAP’s food bank distributed more than 230,000 pounds of food.

“Everyone needs a little help from time to time. Our food bank enables clients to tailor their selections based on preferences and cultural or dietary needs. That atmosphere of participation and choice lends dignity to a process that is difficult and humbling for many of our neighbors and friends,” said Joanne McGunagle, CCAP’s president and CEO.

Another $50,000 went to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, which will use the funding to make 150,000 pounds of food available to food pantries like Cranston’s Edgewood Pawtuxet Food Closet, the St. Vincent De Paul Emergency Food Center and the Haitian Baptist Church of Rhode Island.

“The economy is strong, with low unemployment, but there are still thousands of Rhode Islanders who cannot afford three healthy meals a day. Demand for food assistance remains high at our member agencies as families struggle to afford basic household expenses,” said Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Food Bank.

The funding is among $180,000 in emergency grants to social service agencies that provide food to low-income households. Also receiving grants from the foundation are the Connecting for Children and Families in Woonsocket, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Newport, the East Bay Community Action Program in East Providence, the Jonnycake Center for Hope in South Kingstown and the Jonnycake Center of Westerly.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the foundation raised $114 million and awarded $52 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2018. Through leadership, fundraising and grant-making activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.