Groundswell Cafe receives Simply Organic Giving Fund grant

Groundswell Café, a pay-it-forward eatery providing eastern Iowans with access to handmade organic meals regardless of their ability to pay, is one of six organizations to receive a grant from Simply Organic. 

Groundswell Cafe, an initiative of the Cedar Rapids nonprofit organization Matthew 25, will receive a $15,000 grant to continue providing free, healthy, organic meals to residents in need. 

Simply  Organic has distributed the grants as part of its Simply Organic Giving Fund Grant program, donating a collective $150,000 to address food insecurity in the United States. 

For the 2022 granting period, the Simply Organic Giving Fund selected organizations that are working tirelessly to increase access to healthy and organic foods to communities in need,  including refugees, communities experiencing the impact of natural disasters and families living in food deserts.  

“At Simply Organic, ensuring access to responsibly-sourced organics is at the center of our mission and purpose,” says Katie Shatzer, senior brand manager at Simply Organic. “As the prevalence  of food insecurity has heightened over the last two years, the Simply Organic Giving Fund remains steadfast in its commitment to helping nourish food insecure communities in the United States and Canada by supporting organizations that provide access to healthy, organic food options.” 

Additional grant recipients are: Dion’s Chicago Dream, $15,000; Emergency Food Network, $45,000; HASER, $15,000; Project Worthmore, $45,000; and Working Theory Farm, $15,000. 

The Simply Organic Giving Fund was established in 2001 to support organic agricultural development around the world. In 2018, the brand turned its giving focus to supporting organizations dedicated to nourishing the millions of food insecure. Over the past 20 years, the Simply Organic Giving Fund has given more than $2 million to projects around the globe. 

Simply Organic, an all-organic brand from Frontier Co-op in Norway, Iowa, offers a selection of certified organic spices, baking flavors and extracts, seasoning mixes and simmer sauces.