Grantee Highlights
Featuring organizations that have received grant funding from StopWaste.
Many single-use foodware items contain a class of persistent toxic chemicals that can leach into food, accumulate in the body and lead to serious health problems. To eliminate this risk, while also reducing waste, five Unified School Districts in Alameda County are piloting stainless-steel reusable foodware to replace disposable lunch trays, food boats and plastic sporks. Supported by grant funding, some pilots set up infrastructure to wash the dishes in-house while others use off-site dishwashing services.
Goodness Village in Livermore is a tiny home community for people transitioning out of chronic homelessness. With a Community Food Systems grant from StopWaste, the nonprofit funded equipment to store and process recovered, surplus food to feed the Village, as well as a program to teach residents to make jams, preserves, and other upcycled food products. These will be sold to the larger local community, with proceeds coming back to support Goodness Village.
Make It Home Bay Area furnishes homes for those transitioning out of crisis or homelessness with donated, gently used furniture and household goods. With a StopWaste Reuse & Repair grant, the nonprofit rented storage space in Alameda County and hired an additional staff member to move closer to in-county donors and clients and increase the amount of furniture they can repurpose for local needs.
Sparkl Reusables, in partnership with Spectrum Community Services, replaced disposable foodware with durable, reusable containers and tote bags to serve hundreds of hot meals daily to seniors at pick-up sites throughout Alameda County. With the help of a StopWaste grant, Sparkl purchased inventory, set up operations, and trained staff for the collection, cleaning, and redistribution of the reusable foodware.
RAFT upcycles donations of surplus materials headed to the landfill into STEAM Project Kits for hands-on, creative science learning and other low-cost teaching supplies, available to educators and guardians throughout the Bay Area. A Reuse Grant from StopWaste enabled RAFT to uplift under-resourced schools in Alameda County with their clever and inspiring STEAM Project Kits as well as other materials and service free of charge.
Nonprofit Bay Area Community Health (BACH) provides not only health care and education, but also prioritizes the social and nutritional needs of their patients. Often that means writing a prescription for healthy food from the “Food Farmacy,” a monthly pop-up at BACH’s Liberty Clinic in Fremont. A waste prevention equipment grant from StopWaste has allowed them to purchase new equipment to keep donated fruits and veggies fresher longer.
Founded in Oakland almost 40 years ago, Civicorps runs an extensive job training program for young adults lacking career skills and opportunities, with paid positions in land management and resource conservation. They also offer a high school diploma program for young adults ages 18-26, as well as access to wrap-around support services to help with childcare, housing, legal issues, transportation, and other daily life needs.
West Oakland-based nonprofit Mandela Partners was founded over 15 years ago with a simple vision: Improve access to fresh fruit and vegetables for all Oakland residents, while supporting local family farmers and community-based businesses. StopWaste grant funding supports outreach for a paid CSA program that supports donation of healthy produce to families in need.
Daily Bowl, a Union City-based nonprofit, gleans surplus produce and groceries from farmers markets, farms, grocery stores, and restaurant wholesale distributors, and redistributes this surplus food to nonprofits that serve low-income and vulnerable populations in the Tri-City areas of Fremont, Union City, and Newark. StopWaste supports their mission to increase recovery of surplus food and reduce waste in the Tri-City area by expanding outreach to donors and redistribute food to feed community groups and families in need.
Improving the Quality of Life of People and our Planet
In the developing world, more than 10 million children under the age of five die from inadequate medical care every year. At the same time, hospitals in the United States generate over two million tons of medical waste annually. Much of that waste is unused, unexpired medical supplies and equipment.