Bounty & Soul awarded $25,000 Food and Farming Grant

Community Foundation of WNC funding strengthens local programs

The Valley Echo
April 18, 2022

A Food and Farming Grant awarded to Bounty & Soul will strengthen the Black Mountain-based nonprofit organization’s work with local farmers. Photo courtesy of Bounty & Soul

A local nonprofit organization, dedicated to celebrating and sharing nutritious food, is receiving support through a $25,000 Food and Farming Grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. 

The funding will strengthen the local food system through Bounty & Soul’s Farmers Alliance program, while enhancing its bi-weekly complimentary Produce to the People markets. 

Produce to the People, which distributes fresh, nourishing foods to people experiencing food insecurity, has long been Bounty & Soul’s cornerstone program. The initiative currently distributes fresh produce through its regular drive-through service, while delivering food boxes directly to those who face barriers in accessing the markets, through a weekly pop-up market in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. 

The Farmers Alliance program includes more than 46 local farmers, growers and businesses that donate or sell Bounty & Soul products for distribution. The organization works to develop reciprocal relationships with the alliance partners, and has prioritized sourcing culturally relevant foods from black, indigenous, and other farmers of color in WNC. 

Bounty & Soul is committed to creating health equity by offering nutrition, healthy cooking, gardening and wellness education for adults and children through its classes and resources, serving Buncombe, McDowell, Rutherford, Transylvania and Henderson counties.

Bounty & Soul is receiving support in its efforts to address food insecurity through a $25,000 Food and Farming Grant from the Community Foundation of WNC. Photo courtesy of Bounty & Soul

“Investing in our local food system is a critical step in creating more food security in our region. The last two-plus years has shown us the importance of strengthening and cultivating a resilient, equitable and collaborative food economy where everyone has the opportunity to eat well, be nourished and thrive. We are deeply grateful for CFWNC’S investment and support of our work” said Bounty & Soul Founder and Executive Director Ali Casparian. “It is through the support of community partners like CFWNC that we are able to champion collective solutions to food and nutrition insecurity and invest in our communities”. 

The funding will go directly to providing nutritious locally grown and sourced food, and nutrition and cooking education to every individual participating in Bounty & Soul. 

“We have a long history of working with Bounty & Soul, and we are delighted to be able to award this grant. Western North Carolina is fortunate to have a group of strong organizations working to improve the food system, and Bounty & Soul is a key partner in that collaborative effort” said Philip Belcher, Vice President of Programs, for the CFWNC.

Bounty & Soul’s mission is to connect, share and celebrate nutritious food, education and community through weekly markets serving multiple counties. The organization is "committed to advancing equity in the food and health system and being a champion of change through their community-led model."