Gather’s management: grant termination significantly affects NH

TL/DR –

The Seacoast nonprofit, Gather, has joined the Conservation Law Foundation’s efforts to restore grant funding that was previously awarded through a competitive process. Gather was awarded $350,000 through the Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Program before it was terminated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant would have supported Gather’s food recovery initiative, Seacoast Waste Not, which rescues surplus food from food industry stakeholders in New Hampshire, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts, and distributes it to hungry residents in the region.

Grant Cancellation Halts Food Recovery Operations

Gather, the Seacoast-based non-profit, has had to stall its initiative to combat hunger, reduce waste and build community resilience after a sudden termination of the Environmental and Climate Justice Grant Program. The organization was recently awarded $350,000 through this program, meant to scale up food recovery operations in New Hampshire and southern Maine.

Before Gather could make full use of the funding, the executive director, Anne Hayes, reported that the grant program, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was abruptly ended. The program formed part of a broader federal initiative aimed at addressing environmental hazards, fostering energy justice and enhancing climate resilience in urban, rural and tribal communities across New England.

Hayes explained that the Thriving Communities grant was expected to support the scalability of Gather’s food recovery initiative, Seacoast Waste Not. This initiative recovers quality surplus food from various food industry partners in southern Maine, New Hampshire, and northern Massachusetts. The recovered food was planned to be used to double the number of nutritious meals prepared and distributed by Gather to residents in need.

According to Hayes, the cancellation of the grant not only hampers Gather’s food recovery operations but also impedes efforts to reduce methane emissions caused due to food waste in landfills. This issue is a contributing factor to climate change, making investments in food recovery both wise and cost-effective.

Patte Ardizzoni, Gather’s director of development and communications, expressed disappointment over the unexpected cancellation of the grant. This cancellation, along with cuts and reductions in federal U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs for food donations, will significantly impact Gather’s food distribution capacity.

Ardizzoni highlighted how this grant was an essential tool for promoting healthier, more sustainable communities. A part of the grant money was also intended for education and advocacy efforts, to raise awareness about the detrimental impact of food waste on the environment and the benefits of food recovery.

Last month, a lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government in a bid to restore funding for EPA grant programs. Gather is backing these nationwide efforts by supplying data about the impact of the grant termination to an Amicus brief being submitted by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF).

Britteny Jenkins, CLF’s vice president for environmental justice, articulated the broader implications of such grant cancellations. According to her, funding cuts for addressing food insecurity or monitoring air quality affect not just specific regions, but all communities, making it a collective setback.

Despite the funding termination, Gather remains committed to advocating for the restoration of the EPA grant program. Hayes affirmed, “This is nonpartisan and about ensuring families, children, and older adults have access to the food and resources they desperately need.”

The EPA grant program was initiated and funded by Congress in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

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