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GuideWell Offers $40,000 Prize For Winning Idea To Help End Hunger

Peggy Greb
/
U.S. Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia Commons

The parent company of Jacksonville-based Florida Blue is asking for ideas on how to end hunger.

Nearly three million people in Florida - including 800,000 children and 500,000 seniors - can’t get sufficient and nutritious food.

GuideWell is challenging entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and innovators to bring forth ideas for ending the problem.

Ideas must address one of several areas:

  • Food access - especially in food deserts.
  • Proper use and storage.
  • Resilience after weather events or economic loss.

GuideWell’s Kirstie McCool told WJCT News that any group is welcome to apply to potentially win $40,000, which would be used to help fund the solution.
“As an example, it might be some high school students working with a local nonprofit, building out food gardens or working with a religious institution, or it could be an entrepreneurial social venture or a local grassroots non-profit entrenched in a local community that might have some food insecure citizens.”

Applicants must submit their food insecurity solutions by August 15.

The application form and additional information is at this GuideWell webpage.

Michelle Corum can be reached at mcorum@wjct.org, 904-358-6308 or on Twitter at @MCorumonME.

Photo used under Creative Commons license.