Fostering Success
As a part of its annual spring grants cycle, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation will distribute $127K in spring community grants between four non-profits: Second Harvest Food Bank, Ingram Lee Foundation, Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, and Orange County School of the Arts Foundation.
"Alden and I started this foundation to support youth and provide them with opportunities they would not otherwise have," said Chef Emeril Lagasse in a press release. "While we continue to nurture our roots here at home in New Orleans, we are excited that the reach of the foundation is growing across the country."
Each organization awarded a community grant shares a similar mission to uplift youth through culinary, nutrition and arts education.
The Organizations
Founded in 1982, Second Harvest Food Bank fights hunger in South Louisiana by providing communities with food distribution programs, meal services, nutrition education, and public benefits assistance. Their Summer Feeding and Kids Café Program reaches 4,500 children experiencing food insecurity after school and during the summer. The Emeril Lagasse Foundation's grant will aid in offsetting costs for the summer program that are not federally reimbursed.
The Ingram Lee Foundation began in 2012 to memorialize Ingram Lee and carry out his philanthropic pursuits. Having provided scholarships for 27 students attending 14 different universities throughout the United States, the Ingram Lee Foundation is committed to changing the lives of young adults by providing financial aid for higher education.
Located in Destin, Florida, the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation has cultivated and nurtured an appreciation of the arts by creating educational opportunities for youth and breaking down barriers to arts participation. Their Arts Reach program focuses on partnering with schools and community organizations to provide visual and performing arts programs that would otherwise not be available. The grant from the Foundation will aid the Arts Reach program in expanding its mobile arts education unit and subsidizing arts programs and events for low-income families.
Fostering a passion for food, creativity, and excellence, the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Foundation's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Conservatory provides high school students with advanced culinary and hospitality industry training. The Emeril Lagasse Foundation's grant will give OSCA the opportunity to upgrade its Food Science and Nutrition classrooms, allowing students the opportunity to elevate their learning and training experiences.
Through these grants, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation is able to create opportunities that inspire, mentor, and enable youth to reach their full potential.
