Brands Give Back: KIND Launches Frontline Impact Project; Caulipower Donates $1M to American Heart Association

KIND Launches Frontline Impact Project in Partnership with Project N95

KIND Snacks has launched the Frontline Impact Project, a centralized platform where healthcare workers and other organizations on the frontlines can request and receive necessary food, lodging and transportation assistance. The platform launched in April in partnership with N95, an organization that provides healthcare workers with PPE, and has since expanded its capacity with over 50 CPG companies joining the initiative.

Food and beverage companies including Unilever, Mars, Nestlé and Keurig Dr Pepper along with brands such as Saffron Road, Justin’s, Hint Water, Lenny & Larry’s and Zico have joined the effort, along with the American Hotel & Lodging Association and mental health and wellness platform Total Brain. The initiative has reached over 225,000 people, with resources sent to hospitals, nursing homes and outpatient facilities in 37 states and Washington D.C.

“Our healthcare workers and first responders have needs ranging from proper nourishment to self-care that will only grow in the coming months,” KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky said in a press release. “As more partners come together to offer diverse resources, we will be better equipped to support frontline heroes and show our gratitude in small ways.”

The impetus for the project came out of KIND’s own donation initiative as it looked for the most effective way to allocate 5 million bars it planned to donate to healthcare workers. In partnership with Lubetzky Family Foundation, KIND committed to donating $1 million to expand upon the work of Project N95 by offering healthcare workers resources beyond PPE. The platform was launched to help brands organize and streamline their efforts to give back by matching them with institutions in need.

“At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, we swiftly began outreach to several organizations and healthcare facilities and discovered many were not able to accept or safely store large quantities or frozen shipments of our meals,” said Adnan Durrani, founder and CEO of Saffron Road. “When we learned of Frontline Impact Project, it was a no-brainer for us to join. Their platform and matching process greatly simplified our efforts and amplified our charitable work to seamlessly reach thousands of providers.”

While food is the most requested item on the platform, Frontline Impact has also received requests for skin cleansers (provided by Unilever) along with gum and mints from Extra.

Caulipower Donates $1 Million to American Heart Association

Caulipower announced this week its commitment to donate $1 million over three years to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) food security and education programs. The funds donated to-date will be able to provide 100,000 meals over the next two months to 4,500 families across Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Birmingham.

In Los Angeles, the program will provide fresh produce boxes sourced from local farmers to families through a partnership with Food Forward, SEE-LA and other local organizations.

“It’s already a tragedy that thousands of families depend on free school meals, but with schools closed that tragedy is a crisis and more children are at risk,” said Gail Becker, founder and CEO of CAULIPOWER, in a press release. “We’re thrilled that CAULIPOWER can help put fresh vegetables on the tables of 4,500 families just when they need it most.”

Looking ahead, the donation will also go towards supporting the AHA’s National Teaching Gardens Network to create 100 new Teaching Gardens. Caulipower has donated a portion of its profits to Teaching Gardens since its launch and its most recent donation, the brand will now become its national sponsor.

“Central to CAULIPOWER’s mission is making healthier foods accessible to all,” Becker said. “Through these food deliveries and teaching gardens, we have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on children and their families.”

Caulipower has also been involved in other charitable efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, including donations to Food Bank for NYC and Feeding America, a monthly “Pay Your Bills” campaign sending winners $500 and a year’s supply of the brand’s pizza and donating mask materials to The Masks Now Coalition.

Dairy Farmers Give Back

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, in partnership with the Vermont Community Foundation is spearheading an effort to prevent raw milk from being disposed of by redirecting it as food supply for the Vermont Foodbank.

The organizations have allocated $60,000 to purchase this excess milk from Dairy Farmers of America family farms. The raw milk will be sent to Green Mountain Creamery and HP Hood, where it will be processed for 42,000 yogurt cups and 11,500 gallons of 2% milk.

“Due to changes in demand, the surplus of milk available from our Vermont dairy farms has grown over recent weeks and is highlighting the uncertainty they face today,” said Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts in a press release. “I want to thank those involved in this effort for recognizing the value of our Vermont dairy products, and the importance they hold in our economy and communities.”

Tillamook County Creamery Association also announced this month that its farmer-owners have committed $4 million to a COVID-19 relief plan. The plan will assist the association’s employees as well as the communities it operates in and industry partners who have been affected by the pandemic. Most of the efforts will be focused on the rural Oregon communities of Tillamook and Morrow Counties, where TCCA operates its production facilities and where many of its employees reside.

The relief plan will cover efforts such as paid sick leave, maintaining full pay and benefits for all employees, a fund for employees facing financial hardship, an employee donation matching program and expanding product donations and funding for nonprofits in the local community.

GrandyOats Partners With Full Plates Full Potential

Maine-based organic granola and snack brand GrandyOats has partnered with local nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential (FPFP), an organization focused on increasing schools’ and the community’s access to meals.

GrandyOats will be donating $5 per bag and $15 per case of its featured “Feed Kids” limited edition flavors to FPFP, which has created an emergency fund to support Maine public schools serving meals through the USDA Child Nutrition Program amid school closures due to the pandemic.

The six limited edition flavors were originally intended for the brand’s food service program, but due to closure of colleges, restaurants and offices, the brand decided to make the granola flavors available to the public on its website.

“Seeing our team rally behind this project and be so passionate about giving back has been a positive reminder during these challenging times,” Anker said. “We feel fortunate to have a brand and team that shares so many of the same values, ones that represent an intentional way of life that we believe can and should nourish people, the planet, and our communities.”

Hu Announces The Great Hu Bake Off

Chocolate brand Hu launched The Great Hu Bake Off, encouraging home bakers to submit their baked creation via Instagram for a chance to win donations to the COVID-19 relief charity of their choice. The grand prize winner will also receive a year’s supply of Hu Products.

Bakers can enter by posting of photo of their creative baked goods made using Hu products, tagging the brand on Instagram and using the #HuBakeOff. Judges for the contest include celebrity bakers and entrepreneurs. Entries will be accepted through May 25, with 10 selected to participate in the second round and the winners announced on June 12.

“It’s important that we continue to help inspire fun, creativity and better eating while at home,” said Jordan Brown, co-founder of Hu, in a press release. “With so many people sharing their baking creations with us using our Gems, we thought we’d add some competition to the mix with an at-home baking contest to reward that creativity while giving back to those most impacted by the pandemic.”

Other Good News From Around the Industry:

• Yogurt brand noosa is donating 1.5 million meals to Feeding America, a nationwide network of over 200 food banks, to support the organization’s effort to supply food to those who have been impacted by COVID-19. This month, the brand launched a limited edition 8 oz. tub of its blueberry flavor, featuring a Feeding America lid, to encourage consumers to support the cause.
• Several General Mills plants have redirected their foodservice arms to produce food specifically for donation to Feeding America, with a plan to donate $5 million worth of product. The company will also be donating whole grain cereals, granola bars, French toast and other items.
• Clif has committed to donating 6.6 million Clif, Luna and Clif Kid bars to help sustain frontline healthcare workers.