The Giant Company, in partnership with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, recently announced the 23 recipients of its 2023 Healing the Planet program. The grants were awarded in support of projects that address food waste prevention, reduction and recovery across the Giant Company's operating area. The recipients were named at an event held on June 22 at Dickinson College in Carlisle, which received $20,000 to complete an anaerobic digester project for conversion of community food waste and dairy manure into biogas and grid-tied electricity.

Grants range from $2,500 to $20,000. Projects located in the Giant Company's operating areas within Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia were eligible. Funding for the grants was provided by customers at Giant, Martin's and Giant Heirloom Market stores who rounded up their grocery purchase to the nearest dollar from March through May, benefiting program partners such as the Rodale Institute and Planet Bee Foundation.

The following local Pennsylvania organizations are the recipients of 2023 Healing the Planet grants: City of Lancaster, Lancaster Compost Co-Op; Creative Community Grow, Harrisburg; Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education, York; and York Fresh Food Farms.

All funded projects address food waste prevention, reduction and or recovery and can include community composting, increased access to compost for agricultural producers, educational programs regarding food waste prevention, reduction and recovery, and diversion of food waste from landfills. Community gardens are eligible for funding but must have a food waste prevention, reduction or recovery component, such as education.

Since 2021, the Healing the Planet program has awarded grants to 110 recipients for projects connecting communities to green spaces and improving or helping to protect local waterways and water resources.

Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful has supported community improvement initiatives and encouraged community leadership, responsibility and a respect for the environment since 1990. Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful Inc., has more than 30 years of experience in organizing volunteer-driven community improvement events. Visit http://www.keeppabeautiful.org for more information.

To learn more about the Giant's Company's charitable initiatives, visit http://www.giantfoodstores.com/pages/our-purpose.