Local nonprofit Bounty & Soul has received a neighborhood grant from the Starbucks Foundation, continuing a partnership between the two entities.
Ali Casparian, founder and executive director of Bounty & Soul, said the organization first received the grant in 2021. The neighborhood grants are awarded twice a year, and Bounty & Soul has received both grants since 2021.
This round of grants provided Bounty & Soul with a $3,000 neighborhood grant, bringing the 2023 total to $5,000 given to the nonprofit from the Starbucks Foundation.
“It wasn’t just a one-time award and nomination,” Casparian said. “It’s really an investment and an experience of having a co-partnership.”
According to the Starbucks website, neighborhood grants “are investments that help build sustained local impact” while also encouraging employees to volunteer.
The website said the Starbucks Foundation has received more than 80,000 nominations since 2019 and has awarded more than $15 million to 10,000 organization across both the U.S. and Canada.
“It’s a neighbors helping neighbors concept,” Casparian said. “It’s been really rich and affirming to see a business come alongside us, as many businesses do in Black Mountain and Swannanoa and Asheville.”
Casparian said the relationship Bounty & Soul has with Starbucks “goes deeper” than just the grants as employees of the Black Mountain Starbucks location often volunteer with the nonprofit.
She said the former manager of the store who initially nominated Bounty & Soul also started an initiative of employees making “love notes” to include with the boxes of food Bounty & Soul was giving out during the pandemic.
Bounty & Soul first handed out boxes of food in the old Bi-Lo parking lot behind Starbucks during the pandemic. Now, the nonprofit continues to provide free food in the parking lot in a market format.
Bruce Stanley, the current store manager of Black Mountain Starbucks location, said in a news release announcing the grant that his daughter volunteers with Bounty & Soul and his wife volunteers as a member of the board.
“I’m grateful to be able to leverage the Starbucks Foundation’s community grant program to nominate Bounty & Soul for these neighborhood grant awards,” Stanley said. “Our Black Mountain store accepts healthy food donations for Bounty & Soul and has also collected Notes of Kindness that have been distributed in the food boxes at the bi-weekly markets.”
According to the news release, Bounty & Soul distributes food to more than 2,400 people per week at three different markets. Bounty & Soul collaborates with 72 local farmers to purchase food for these markets. The markets also provide wellness education through classes and demonstrations.
Casparian said these Starbucks neighborhood grants go “directly back into the community” as Bounty & Soul uses the funds to support the markets. She said this involves everything from purchasing food for the markets from the farmers to fueling trucks to go pick up the food.
She said these grants are a good example of “neighbors helping neighbors” because a local business is supporting a local nonprofit.
“This is a community-based organization and businesses are part of that community,” Casparian said. “The people that go to work every day at these businesses are part of the community, and so it fits.”
Karrigan Monk is the Swannanoa Valley communities reporter for Black Mountain News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.
