The Healing Meals Community Project (HMCP) was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the Ion Bank Foundation as part of the foundation’s mission to make local communities a better place to live, work and prosper. This funding will allow the Healing Meals Project to serve 1,080 meals to fifteen low-income individuals in the greater Hartford area who are impacted by a serious health crisis.
Since 2016, the Healing Meals Project has delivered over 110,000 meals to 1,400 people in more than 70 towns across Connecticut. The Simsbury-based nonprofit provides nutrient-dense, organic meals to individuals facing a health crisis, along with their families, for 12 – 24 weeks. More than 65% of these families receive meals at no cost or very low-cost.
“We are so grateful to have received this significant grant from the Ion Bank Foundation, as it will allow us to provide services to a number of families who have been on our waiting list for some time,” said Sarah Leathers, founder and CEO of the Healing Meals Community Project.
Healing Meals Community Project has grown exponentially in the past year, implementing a prenatal program for low-income women in Hartford, partnering with The Boys & Girls Club of Hartford on a summer pilot program and structuring a future cooperative program with the Hartford Hospital Diabetic Life Care Program and Mental Health CT, as well as structuring a future program with Forge City Works and the Hispanic Health Council.
“Ion Bank Foundation was happy to support the Healing Meals Community Project with a grant for the Healthy Meals Program. The work they do is invaluable to the individuals and families receiving meals from them,” said Kathleen Brochhausen, Executive Director of the Ion Bank Foundation. Since its inception in 1998, the Ion Bank Foundation has granted over $10.5 million to over 500 non-profit organizations.
The Healing Meals Community Project provides nutritious meals at a sliding scale to individuals who are facing a serious health crisis and their families. Meals are prepared from scratch with organic ingredients, according to research-based frameworks that support healing and prioritize organic and locally grown produce. Six meals per week are delivered by volunteers to clients’ homes for up to three months. Prospective clients may apply for meals at this link: https://healingmealsproject.org/receive-meals/, and prospective volunteers may learn more at this link: https://healingmealsproject.org/volunteer/orientation/.