Emeril Lagasse Foundation Announces Spring Grants Totaling Over $600K
Nonprofit Beneficiaries Advance Foundation’s Mission to Inspire, Mentor, and Enable Youth to Reach Full Potential
The Emeril Lagasse Foundation has announced it will distribute more than $600,000 to non-profits as part of its annual spring grants cycle. The ten organizations awarded grants share a similar mission to support youth through culinary, nutrition, and arts education with a focus on life skills development. The beneficiaries are Second Harvest Food Bank, Covenant House New Orleans, Arc Broward, Dan Marino Foundation, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Food for Thought, Alaqua Animal Refuge, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, Belle Chasse Academy, and Cunningham Elementary School.
“Congratulations to these well-deserving organizations who are making a difference in the lives of young people every day,” said Chef Emeril Lagasse. “I am hopeful that these grants create positive change for the future of our youth.”
The organizations receiving funds during the Emeril Lagasse Foundation spring grant cycle are:
Second Harvest Food Bank’s Summer Feeding and Kids Café Programs provide meals for hungry children after school and over the summer months when many children would otherwise go without nutritious meals. In the summer of 2023, Second Harvest will provide meals to 2,300 children experiencing food insecurity.
Covenant House New Orleans provides direct care of safe shelter and food to youth and young children experiencing homelessness and food insecurities in the New Orleans community.
Arc Broward provides culinary and job readiness training for individuals with developmental disabilities through the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Innovation Kitchen.
Dan Marino Foundation’s Hospitality Program offers educational programs to prepare young adults with autism and other developmental disabilities for gainful employment, social growth, and independent living.
Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) provides advocacy and prevention programming that plays a significant role in identifying child abuse victims experiencing food insecurity. In 2022, the program served more than 1,100 child abuse victims. Grant funds will support the programs that identify the nutritional needs of children served and help facilitate meeting those needs.
Food for Thought (FFT) bridges the gap between school meals during weekends, summer, and holiday breaks. It offers learning and life skill resources for Walton and Okaloosa Counties youth through the Emeril Lagasse Full Circle Kitchen and the FFT Full Circle Gardens. Grant funds will support the expansion of the Full Circle Kitchen programming to include a food truck—the Full Circle Kitchen Culinary Bus.
Alaqua Animal Refuge is the Southeast’s premier animal shelter and sanctuary and a leader in animal rescue, welfare, cruelty prevention, and advocacy. Alaqua also maintains a variety of specialized programming that teaches youth essential life skills, including self-esteem, confidence, problem-solving, a sense of responsibility, and empathy. Grant funds will be used for program support to allow children to participate at no cost.
Sinfonia Gulf Coast is committed to music and arts education and has reached more than 195,000 children through its programming. Grant funds will assist in the expansion of a beginning strings program in elementary and middle schools.
Belle Chasse Academy, a school partner for Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, operates a gardening program and an outdoor culinary learning center used for student classes conducted by the gardening instructor, culinary instructor, health teacher, and classroom teachers, as well as guest experts such as chefs, farmers, economists, and scientists.
Cunningham Elementary School, a school partner for Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen in the Austin Independent School District, provides students the opportunity to develop an understanding and passion for the art, science, and beauty behind the farm-to-table experience.
About Emeril Lagasse Foundation: Founded in 2002 by Chef Emeril Lagasse and his wife Alden, Emeril Lagasse Foundation is a 501c(3) public charity headquartered in New Orleans. The Foundation’s mission is to create opportunities to inspire, mentor, and enable youth to reach their full potential through culinary, nutrition, and arts education with a focus on life skills development. Since its inception, Emeril Lagasse Foundation has granted more than $19.3 million to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition, and arts programs. The Foundation accomplishes this through three programs. The Community Grants program provides programmatic and capital support to nonprofit organizations across the nation. The signature program, Emeril’s Culinary Garden & Teaching Kitchen, is a national education initiative created to enrich the lives of elementary and middle school children through a fun, fresh perspective on food. The Aarón Sánchez Impact Fund, the newest program, will provide culinary arts education and human services programming for Latino youth. To learn more about the foundation and its beneficiaries, visit Emeril.org, or follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.