Chobani awards grants to organizations in the Magic Valley who address food insecurities

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — In its effort to fight against hunger, Chobani has awarded $100,000 to eleven organizations in the Magic Valley.

For the sixth year, Chobani is helping local organizations in Twin Falls and Jerome counties in the work they are doing to help families and children in the Magic Valley.

“The Community Impact Fund has been running since 2018, it’s in its 6th year, and it’s our opportunity as Chobani, to offer grants to local organizations who are fighting hunger within the community,” said Becca Dittrich, the Vice-President of Impact and Community Partnerships at Chobani.

This year, eleven organizations were awarded grant funding.

La Posada, Idaho Angels, Voices Against Violence, Ageless Senior Center, Jerome School District, Mustard Seed, New Hope Transition Center, Valley House Homeless Shelter, Everybody House, United Way of South-Central Idaho and the Jerome Senior Center.

“A really diverse array of applicants this year, all fighting hunger within the Magic Valley community in creative, inventive, and really meaningful ways, and the fact that Chobani employees have the opportunity to take a look at all of those grant applications to review all of the ways that those organizations suggest meeting the need within the community,” said Dittrich.

Chobani partners with the Idaho Community Foundation for these grants.

The Idaho Community Foundation helps organizations throughout Idaho with their charitable funds, and they manage the money and the grant awards for the organization.

The CEO and President says they have been working with Chobani since they began the community impact fund grant.

“There are so many different organizations doing incredible work to take care of the people, the kids, that need help, to take care of the people who are most vulnerable, that list is a long list of Magic Valley organizations who are doing a wonderful job of taking care of those community members who really need that extra help,” said Steve Burns, the CEO and president of the Idaho Community Foundation.

A few examples of the work that will be done with this grant funding is, the Valley House providing nutritious food for individuals who are experiencing homelessness, the Jerome School District will be continuing their Friday food backpack program at Jerome Middle School and the Everybody House will be able to continue their nutritious, chef prepared meals to the community twice a month through the Everybody Eats program, just to name a few.

“It’s important to note that there are 8,000 individuals within Twin Falls County that are food insecure, 2,000 individuals within Jerome County who are food insecure, and collectively, about 2,000 of those individuals who are food insecure are children,” said Dittrich.