In a commendable effort to combat hunger across the United States, Darden Restaurants has once again joined forces with Feeding America®, marking the fourth consecutive year of their impactful partnership. Through a generous $2 million grant from the Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation, the company is donating 10 refrigerated trucks to food banks nationwide, significantly enhancing food distribution efforts for communities in need.

Strengthening Food Distribution Programs

These 26-foot refrigerated trucks are designed to carry up to 12,000 pounds of food, allowing food banks to expand their mobile pantry programs and serve individuals and families facing food insecurity more effectively. The trucks will be delivered to important food banks including:

• Central California Food Bank (Fresno, Calif.)
• Coastal Bend Food Bank (Corpus Christi, Texas)
• Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland (Elizabethtown, Ky.)
• Harvest Hope Food Bank (Columbia, S.C.)
• Inter-Faith Food Shuttle (Raleigh, N.C.)
• Middle Georgia Community Food Bank (Macon, Ga.)
• Second Harvest of the Greater Valley (Manteca, Calif.)
• South Texas Food Bank (Laredo, Texas)
• Three Square Food Bank (Las Vegas, Nev.)
• United Food Bank (Mesa, Ariz.)

Rick Cardenas, President and CEO of Darden Restaurants, emphasized the company’s commitment: “Darden is uniquely positioned to make a meaningful impact in the movement to end hunger. By leveraging our resources, we ensure nutritious meals reach families who need them most.”

Addressing a Growing Need

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 47 million people in the U.S. faced hunger in 2023. The increased rate of food insecurity—13.5% of households—highlights the critical need for reliable food distribution solutions. The ability for food banks to deliver food efficiently and minimize waste is paramount in addressing this growing crisis.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, reflects on the significance of this partnership: “Hunger exists in every zip code in the U.S., and it can affect anyone. Our continued partnership with Darden helps strengthen our efforts to ensure food reaches communities where it is needed most.”

Consistent Efforts Over the Years

Since January 2021, Darden’s partnership with Feeding America has delivered 45 refrigerated trucks to 45 food banks across 21 states, substantially enhancing the capacity of these organizations. Not only do these trucks provide logistical support, but Darden’s Harvest food donation program has also been crucial in addressing food waste, channeling surplus food from their restaurants to local nonprofits.

Over the years, Darden has donated more than 140 million pounds of food, translating to over 118 million meals for those experiencing hunger. This landmark initiative demonstrates a profound commitment to reducing food waste while simultaneously providing nourishment to communities across the country.

Embracing a Future Without Hunger

Darden Restaurants showcases an inspiring commitment to philanthropy through its wide array of dining brands, including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. The Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation has awarded over $110 million to non-profit organizations since its inception in 1995.

To learn more about Darden’s efforts and their partnership with Feeding America, you can visit Darden Restaurants and Feeding America.

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Together, through these initiatives, Darden and Feeding America continue to take significant strides towards a future where no one in America goes hungry. As we collectively tackle the challenges of food insecurity, it’s clear that impactful partnerships are essential in building a more inclusive and nourished society.

SOURCE Darden Restaurants, Inc.: General

The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.

https://stmdailynews.com/category/the-bridge

At our core, we at STM Daily News, strive to keep you informed and inspired with the freshest content on all things food and beverage. From mouthwatering recipes to intriguing articles, we’re here to satisfy your appetite for culinary knowledge.

Visit our Food & Drink section to get the latest on Foodie News and recipes, offering a delightful blend of culinary inspiration and gastronomic trends to elevate your dining experience.

Related links:

https://www.feedingamerica.org

https://www.darden.com

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Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Sarah Mayorga, Brandeis University

Gentrification has become a familiar story in cities across the United States. The story line typically goes this way: Middle- and upper-income people start moving into a lower-income or poor neighborhood. Housing prices rise in response, and longtime residents and businesses are driven out.

As the U.S. population becomes increasingly urban, gentrification can seem inevitable. However, scholars have found that it’s actually pretty rare.

For example, a study by the nonprofit National Community Reinvestment Coalition that examined neighborhood change from 2000 through 2013 found that most low- and moderate-income neighborhoods across the United States did not gentrify during that period. Just seven cities – New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Diego and Chicago – accounted for almost half of all neighborhood gentrification nationwide.

Why is gentrification less common than many people fear? In our book, “A Good Reputation: How Residents Fight for an American Barrio,” we argue that conflicts over neighborhood reputation are an important factor.

We examined disputes among residents of Northside, a predominantly Latino neighborhood, or barrio, in Houston, over how their neighborhood was perceived. We found that those who thought outsiders stigmatized the barrio, or who stigmatized it themselves, avoided engaging with the neighborhood, its institutions and its residents. This group supported measures that would facilitate gentrification, such as monitoring local bars to file nuisance complaints.

By contrast, those who perceived the barrio as a welcome, desirable space worked to cultivate the neighborhood’s institutions and connect its people, pushing back against attempts to gentrify the area.

Gentrification isn’t linear or automatic

Common understandings of gentrification and urban development often frame these urban processes as natural, linear and even inevitable for low-income neighborhoods. The argument goes that once you see a new Starbucks, or a light rail station in the case of Northside, gentrification is sure to follow.

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Based on our research, however, we argue that when politicians, developers and even residents themselves attempt to develop or redevelop marginalized urban neighborhoods, they spur neighborhood conflicts that, in turn, can greatly influence the redevelopment process.

Northside is one such neighborhood. Located just north of downtown Houston, it has been majority Latino for more than 60 years. It has also been a high-poverty area, with 23% to 38% of its residents living beneath the federal poverty line over this time period.

About one-third of its residents are foreign-born, many of them originating from Mexico or Central America. But most Latino Northsiders are second-, third- or later-generation Mexican Americans or Latino Americans.

The neighborhood consists mainly of single-family homes on small, densely packed urban lots. Some streets have sidewalks and covered drainage systems, while others have open ditches and lack sidewalks. Although the METRO red line train travels along the barrio’s western border and a few busy thoroughfares crisscross the neighborhood, much of the area has a small-town, quiet, residential feel.

Conflicting approaches

As we describe in our book, we found two widespread and conflicting views of Northside among its residents. Interestingly, these views did not easily map onto individual characteristics, such as racial identity or class. People would sometimes change their viewpoints depending on the conflict in question.

One group wanted to cleanse the barrio of what its members saw as negative features, transform the area and prepare the way for gentrification to occur. The other group was intent on celebrating the barrio as it already was and on preserving its character and supporting its residents.

Residents who wanted to remake Northside often believed that it had too many features that they felt were associated with Black or low-income people, such as public housing, cantinas or bars, and services for people without homes. For example, one woman we spoke with cited neighborhood cantinas and housing shelters as evidence that Northside was dangerous.

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These Northsiders wanted to purge and clean the neighborhood to improve what they perceived as its marred image. They sought to remove facilities, such as a Salvation Army shelter, which they believed attracted undesirable people; called for increased police presence in the neighborhood; and avoided local places such as parks and grocery stores, often driving to other neighborhoods instead.

They also attempted to curate what they viewed as respectable behavior, through steps such as installing video cameras and calling on residents to report neighbors whom they believed were dumping trash or failing to neuter and spay their pets.

In contrast, other residents believed that their neighborhood was a welcoming and desirable place. They were proud of its parks, churches, public schools and Mexican restaurants, and they spoke of pivotal moments in Northside’s past to argue for its desirability in the present. One such event was an uprising at Moody Park in 1978 that spurred reforms in the Houston police department and capital improvements to the park.

These residents hosted parties, exercised at local parks and volunteered with public schools and Catholic parishes. Many regularly participated in neighborhood development and nonprofit meetings, and they objected when other speakers cast Northside as a stigmatized place and its residents as the cause of barrio ills.

They also defended Northside against what they saw as threats to its quality of life. As one example, residents sued the owners of White Oak Music Hall, a 5-acre, three-stage concert venue that opened in 2016 on the western edge of the neighborhood. Plaintiffs argued that loud music was interrupting their children’s sleep and decreasing their property values. They won important concessions in a 2018 settlement, including caps on the number of outdoor concerts, installation of sound-monitoring equipment and limits on the number and duration of concerts on school nights.

A different kind of gentrification story

Ultimately, we found that Northside did not gentrify because the conflict between these disparate views of the neighborhood blocked or slowed large-scale redevelopment. Some residents’ attempts to protect and preserve the barrio interrupted developers’ plans – for example, by using Houston’s Code of Ordinances to block the subdivision of existing lots. Other actions, such as the lawsuit against White Oak Music Hall, checked developers’ influence in the area.

Although residents’ efforts to prevent redevelopment did not constitute a full-blown, organized social movement, people who valued Northside as it was successfully challenged the idea that it was a dangerous and unattractive place that needed to be remade, and they worked to preserve the place they called home.

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Other researchers have examined similar struggles in cities including Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago. We think that paying attention to these conflicts in cities of all sizes can provide a deeper understanding of why gentrification succeeds – or, more commonly, why it fails.

Elizabeth Korver-Glenn, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Sarah Mayorga, Professor of Sociology, Brandeis University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.

https://stmdailynews.com/category/the-bridge

(Family Features) From a day spent in the office to evenings out and everywhere in between, there’s one thing virtually everyone leaves behind now and again: a mess. Whether it’s scratch paper from a morning meeting or food scraps and used napkins at your favorite restaurant, you’re likely to leave some trash in your wake on any given day.

Keeping Your Community Clean

While waste is a normal part of everyday life, there are ways you can do your part to keep your community clean beyond simply picking up after yourself, including keeping in mind the hardworking custodians who make big things possible by working tirelessly to maintain clean and safe spaces every day.

To show appreciation for those custodians, Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) is hosting celebrations across the U.S. for the third year in a row to engage with and personally thank those who keep the world working by going above and beyond keeping public spaces spotless.

These events aim to elevate, recognize and thank those who go above and beyond for cleanliness and safety. Consider these ways you can add to the cause and do your part for clean offices, schools, neighborhoods and beyond.

Pick Up After Yourself
Striving for a cleaner community doesn’t happen overnight; it begins with small steps and habits you can incorporate every day. One of the easiest ways you can lend a hand to maintenance professionals is by simply cleaning up after yourself, from recycling used paper at the office to properly disposing of that popcorn bucket after catching a movie.

Encourage Cleanliness at Work
An unkempt work environment can be a detriment to both productivity and safety. Voice any concerns you may have about your workspace and recommend tools that can help encourage cleanliness. Consider the variety of innovative products RCP offers, including Utility and Decorative Trash Cans, Mops, Broom Carts, Safety Signs, Heavy-Duty Trucks and more that can help get the job done.

Keep Cleanup Supplies on Hand
Go beyond your own messes and fight back against litter in public spaces by keeping cleanup supplies in a backpack while hiking, stowed away while biking or in your trunk while driving through town. A few small trash bags and disposable gloves or a trash picker are all you need to help put a stop to littered parks and neighborhoods.

Organize Community Cleaning Events
If you’re ready to go above and beyond, consider organizing a community cleanup. Set a date and time, gather supplies like trash bags and gloves then spread the news to family, friends and neighbors, and share why it’s important to keep spaces clean and safe. Start with a local park or your own neighborhood to avoid overwhelming your volunteers, but as your cleanup crew grows, you can tackle larger areas.

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Find more solutions to strive for cleaner communities at rubbermaidcommercial.com/behind-the-scenes-of-clean.

SOURCE:
Rubbermaid Commercial Products

The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.

https://stmdailynews.com/category/the-bridge