Heartland Community Foundation Announces Launch of the Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund
New food-security fund aims to strengthen local hunger-relief efforts across the region
In every community, there are quiet moments of care that often go unseen — a volunteer slipping an extra box of cereal into a family’s food box, a school teacher sending snacks home with a student so he will have something to eat over the weekend, a neighbor dropping off a warm meal at someone’s door. These acts of compassion happen every day in Ellis, Rooks, and Trego counties, carried out by people and programs that work tirelessly to keep plates full.
Today, the Heartland Community Foundation announces the launch of the Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund — a new food-security initiative designed to support the helpers behind those everyday moments. This non-endowed, invested fund will provide flexible, responsive dollars to the organizations feeding our community—where needs are rising faster than resources. The more the fund grows, the more it can grant.
“For years, our grant committees have wrestled with the same tension: food requests are so urgent and human that it’s hard to prioritize anything else ahead of them,” said Sarah Meitner, executive director of the Heartland Community Foundation. “When a pantry is running low or a school’s lunch debt rises, it feels impossible to say yes to arts, parks, community development, or other programs instead. This fund gives us a dedicated way to meet those food needs without sacrificing support for other important community projects.”
The Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund is built to support the full ecosystem of food access in our three counties, including:
- food pantries and food box distribution
- Meals on Wheels, senior meal programs, and community meal sites
- school nutrition gaps such as unpaid lunch balances, extra milks, or snacks
- new community solutions such as cooking classes or gardens
- emerging needs like soup kitchens or expanded meal services
- any initiative that increases access to nutritious food for residents
Since 2018, the Heartland Community Foundation has granted $105,502 to food-related needs. While meaningful, this figure highlights something important: the need is simply outpacing the capacity of traditional grant cycles. The Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund allows the community to give more, respond faster, and support hunger-relief work more strategically.
“This fund is about feeding people — but also about feeding the work that feeds people,” Meitner added. “When we strengthen the programs doing the heavy lifting, we strengthen the entire community.”
The fund is non-endowed, meaning dollars are invested for growth but remain flexible, allowing timely support when gaps appear. It was created in direct response to the rising challenges faced by local partners, from increased food costs to reductions in federal support.
How agencies can apply
Organizations may apply for support through the Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund during Heartland’s regular Spring and Fall grant cycles, with deadlines on May 15 and November 15. Requests may also be considered outside these cycles during special circumstances, similar to the Heartland Disaster Funds, following a streamlined application, agreement, and reporting process.
How the community can help
Community foundations exist to bring people together around shared challenges — and food insecurity remains one of the most urgent.
This Giving Tuesday and throughout the holiday season, Heartland invites the community to make a cash or non-cash gift to the Neighbors Feeding Neighbors Fund to support food-security needs in our area. Donations are accepted year-round and make a real difference in strengthening the programs that keep tables full. The more the fund grows, the more it can grant.
Donate online any time here:
https://gscf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=11164&sorg_id=1039 or visit www.HeartlandCommunityFoundation.org. Click “GIVE ONLINE” and search for the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Fund. For questions, reach out at 785-621-4090 or email heartland@gscf.org.
