Broadway Cares is providing $1.5 million in emergency grants to support food service organizations nationwide for the millions affected by the federal government's uncertainty in providing November’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
The emergency grants—made possible by the generosity of the theatre community and its audiences—are being distributed to the 148 food pantries, meal delivery services, and congregate meal programs that are part of Broadway Cares’ National Grants Program. While these organizations received annual support totaling $2.9 million, these additional grants represent an additional 50% of what they received earlier this year.
“The organizations we support across the country were already stretched thin from budget cuts and lost funding,” said Danny Whitman, executive director of Broadway Cares, in a statement. “This new heartbreaking blow to SNAP benefits means even more people are reaching out for help. Thanks to the generosity of our theatre community—those onstage, backstage, and in the audience—these emergency grants will immediately provide warm, nutritious meals to countless individuals and families in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.”
Broadway Cares also announced $100,000 in emergency support for two organizations providing on-the-ground relief to those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and across the Caribbean: World Central Kitchen, which was founded in 2010 by Chef José Andrés and is often first to the frontlines, providing fresh meals around the world during natural disasters, humanitarian crises, and other emergencies; and World Food Program USA, the U.S.-based charitable partner of the UN’s World Food Programme, which pre-positioned mobile warehouses in Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti, and is continuing to provide emergency food kits, generators, and other supplies in the hardest hit areas.
“In moments of profound uncertainty, whether it’s families losing access to food because of reduced SNAP benefits or communities devastated by natural disasters, Broadway steps forward with action,” added Robert E. Wankel, president of the Broadway Cares Board of Trustees and chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization. “The theatre community has always met crises with care, ensuring hope reaches those who need it most.”
Broadway Cares is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising, and grant-making organizations. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of the American theatre community, since 1988 Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States.
Visit BroadwayCares.org.
