Good Bowls Receives a USDA Local Food Promotion Program Grant!

Donald Hines of Hines Farms in Jacksonville, NC

Good Bowls (Equiti Foods) is the excited recent recipient of a USDA Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) grant. Since our founding, Good Bowls has been on a mission to support the local food system by working with local farmers and local producers to source the ingredients for our Good Bowls. So, the UDSA’s LFPP grant fits right into what we’ve always been doing, and will now help us do it on an even larger scale.

A unique aspect of this new grant is that we are working with local farmers to develop better systems for them to sell their grade B (cosmetically challenged) and seasonal excess foods which are often wasted, thus generating new revenue for the farmer.  Because Good Bowls are made from chopped and cooked fresh produce, we can use these normally wasted crops to generate healthy frozen meals. We will also work with local restaurants to make better use of these foods, thus also helping restaurants still struggling from COVID impacts.

This approach will also help us grow the network and infrastructure of farmers that we’re working with throughout the state, expanding our e-commerce platform and social media audience and influence. With every bowl that we distribute to customers in NC, we’ll be able to source more produce from the farms in the region – helping to grow the food economy in the state.

Good Bowls founder Dr. Alice Ammerman taking the Good Bowls van our for a spin

We currently deliver Good Bowls to co-ops, universities, and homes in the region using…..you guessed it, the Good Bowls Van. As our presence and reach starts to grow throughout the state, the USDA LFPP grant will help us expand our distribution network to be on the shelves in even more stores and co-ops and also offer home delivery to an expanded area.

We’ve always had the mission to support the local food economy, promote food equity, and reduce waste with our Good Bowls. Now with the added resources of the USDA LFPP grant we’re excited about how that mission will grow these next three years to include more local producers and broaden the availability of healthy, delicious frozen meals.