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Each of the winners were judged on their merits in several categories, including the program’s reach, impact, sustainability, and financial need. A judging committee of nutrition and non-profit experts teamed with McDonald’s officials to choose the finalists.
Each of the winners received a $5,000 grant from McDonald's that will be used to held build or expand nutrition programs in the tristate area. The money will also be used to help spread nutrition information to the community.
The Bowen Memorial Community Outreach Food Planting Program is a non-profit organization that provides fresh, organic food to families in Westchester that have an extreme economic need. The grant money will be used to purchase additional food and produce that will be provided to low-income families in the area.
“With the overwhelming success we saw during the initial launch of the New York Metro Nutrition Network, we decided to extend the program’s reach this year,” Anthony Scari, the president of the McDonald’s New York Tri-State Owners Association, said in a statement. “Communities are now taking a more proactive role in providing nutrition education to their residents.”
Christie Garcia, a Mount Vernon resident whose family has benefitted from the Bowen Community Outreach Food Planting Program in the past, praised the organization for helping her keep food on the table when she was economically distressed.
“It’s a great program, it helped me and my boys out when we were down on our luck and we didn’t have much money coming in,” she said. “With their help, I was able to feed my kids good food at a rough time.”
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