Opal Apple Youth Make A Difference Initiative announces grant awardees

Yakima, Wash.-based FirstFruits Farms, in conjunction with Opal Apple, has awareded Opal Youth Make A Difference grants to eight recipients.

The program is designed to support and uplift youth-led initiatives that make a positive impact in local communities while focusing on youth taking leadership roles, according to a news release.

To be considered, applicants must be nonprofits operating in one of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia and must submit proof of 501(c)3 status, or be affiliated with school entities, and be in good standing, the release said. The organizations must address one or more of the following issues: food security, nutrition, agriculture, and food politics and education.

The program received a record number of 58 applicants this year from throughout the country, the release said.

After an evaluation process, eight programs have been chosen to receive a combined total of $35,000. The following grant winners stood out for their youth leadership roles and impact on their local communities:

• Katie’s Krops (Summerville, S.C.) — growing a healthy end to hunger, one youth-grown vegetable garden at a time.
• Water 4 Mercy (Clearwater, Fla.) — providing water, food, and hope to remote African villages.
• LEAF Project (Landisburg, Pa.) — cultivating youth leaders from diverse backgrounds through meaningful work in the food system.
• Grow It Green (Morristown, N.J.) — empowering a healthier and greener community.
• Tennessee FFA Foundation (Cookeville, Tenn.) — learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, living to serve.
• The Garden Club Project (Blacklick, Ohio) — teaching at-risk teens how to grow, harvest, prepare and sell their produce.
• AfriThrive (Spring, Md.) — Dedicated to building vibrant and thriving African immigrant and minority families through access to food, youth skills and economic opportunity.
• Cultivating Connections (Hamilton, — working to inspire gratitude, generosity, community, abundance and love of nature through education and organic farming.

“We are thrilled to witness the growth and impact of the Opal Youth Make A Difference Grant program,” Chuck Zeutenhorst, president of FirstFruits Marketing, said in the release. “We believe that by supporting and empowering these youth-led initiatives, we are fostering a generation of change-makers who will shape a better future for all. We look forward to continuing this journey and witnessing the remarkable transformations that these grant awardees will bring."

The 2023 application window will be open from Dec. 15, 2023, to Feb. 9, 2024.