Matthew 25 receives $15,000 donation in anti-hunger campaign

Matthew 25 education coordinator Laura Greig prepares a side salad at the newly opened Groundswell Cafe at Matthew 25 in Cedar Rapids on Oct. 8, 2018. The pay it forward cafe allows diners to round up their bill or pay extra to cover a healthy, nutritious meal for a guest who can't afford to pay. (The Gazette)

Clint Twedt-Ball, founder and executive director of Matthew 25, leads food prep. (Matthew 25)

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids nonprofit Matthew 25 was chosen as one of five organizations to receive part of a $150,000 campaign to fight hunger across the country.

As a front line organization fighting food insecurity locally, Matthew 25 was named a 2023 recipient of $15,000 from the Simply Organic Giving Fund. The fund is a charitable arm of Simply Organic, a leader in organic herbs and spices under the Norway, Iowa-based Frontier Co-Op family of brands.

The $15,000 donation is part of an annual campaign that has donated a total of $725,000 since 2018 to organizations focused on fighting hunger.

In addition to other initiatives, Matthew 25’s Groundswell Cafe allows people to pay what they can for a meal — no questions asked — or donate a little extra to help others, removing the stigma around asking for help. Groundswell has provided more than 15,000 free meals using local and organic produce over the past five years.

“Countless people will experience food insecurity in their lives. Some may be for years at a time, some for a few months — but whatever the reason may be, everyone deserves to have access to good, healthy, organic food,” said Alicia Simmons, corporate social responsibility manager for Frontier Co-Op.

“This program also provides a channel for people to give what they can to support others in their community, and reinforces how even a seemingly small gesture can make an incredible difference in one person’s day or life,” Simmons added. “It’s a unique and creative approach to addressing food insecurity in our community, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to help pay it forward.”

The Simply Organic Giving Fund receives about 150 applications per year, from which five or six recipients are selected. For the 2023 grant period, the fund selected organizations that are spearheading resource programs and initiatives to empower underserved communities facing food insecurity, including refugees, immigrants and families in food deserts.

As a co-op, Frontier gives roughly $1 million each year to causes around the world.

“Hungry people deserve good, healthy food. Our customers who eat free are consistently shocked that there is a place serving this high quality of meals to our struggling neighbors,” said Clint Twedt-Ball, founder and executive director of Matthew 25. “It wouldn’t happen without the care and compassion of Frontier Co-Op and the Simply Organic Giving Fund.”

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Four other recipients were named:

Dion’s Chicago Dream, which brings fresh, healthy produce to low-income communities in the Chicago metro, will receive $25,000.
Emergency Food Network, which provides organic produce to local food pantries in Pierce County, Washington, through its Mother Earth Farm, will receive $40,000.
Multicultural Refugee Coalition’s social enterprise, New Leaf Agriculture, will receive $25,000 to continue to provide nutrient-dense, culturally desired produce to new refugees in Austin, Texas, through weekly CSA programs and community networks.
Project Worthmore’s Delaney Community Farm will receive $45,000 to expand operations to continue distributing fresh, healthy produce to more than 750 refugee families in the Denver, Colo., area.

The Simply Organic Giving Fund, established in 2001, was organized to support organic agricultural development. It has given more than $2.35 million to projects around the world.

In 2018, the brand pivoted its focus to food insecurity in the United States and Canada. It has since partnered with about a dozen organizations dedicated to providing food insecure communities with access to healthy, organic options.

Comments: (319) 398-8340; elijah.decious@thegazette.com