TRISCUIT has announced its first two changemakers, Max Kaniger and Asha Walker, to join The Missing Ingredients Project. Launched in November 2020 with a $1 million commitment over three years, the brand's purpose-driven effort aims to weave more nourishment into the world by helping to improve access to fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables in food deserts across America.

Changemakers Max Kaniger, CEO & founder of Kanbe's Markets in Kansas City, and Asha Walker, CEO & founder of Health in the Hood in South Florida, each received a $50,000 grant to support their unique and innovative community-based programs that are having a meaningful impact on food insecurity in food deserts. Changemakers are selected based upon their passion for developing inventive, impactful ways to improve food access in their own communities and the difference they are making to reduce the problem. TRISCUIT invites other changemakers across the country, like Max and Asha, who are implementing new ideas and programs, to apply for a $50,000 grant. Learn more and apply here.

"TRISCUIT has been providing whole-grain nourishment as part of a balanced diet to families for generations and we believe that everyone deserves access to affordable, fresh food," said Becky Duke, associate director at Mondelēz International. "Through The Missing Ingredients Project, we are extremely proud to support changemakers in food deserts across the U.S. who are working every day to help ensure people can access fresh fruits and vegetables for themselves and their families."

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), approximately 19 million people—6.2 percent of the United States population—live in food deserts. These are geographic areas, either urban or rural, where access to affordable, healthy food options, including fresh fruits and vegetables, is limited or non-existent. The pandemic only worsened the issue of food access across the U.S., and The Missing Ingredients Project by TRISCUIT is fueling the innovative efforts of individuals to support solutions and create change.

Meet the changemakers

Max Kaniger: Founder & CEO of Kanbe's Markets in Kansas City. Kansas City is home to 400,000 food insecure residents, and the pandemic has only increased barriers for residents to access fresh fruits and vegetables. TRISCUIT has selected Max as an inaugural changemaker and is excited to support Max in his mission to serve fresh, nourishing food to the residents of Kansas City. With the $50,000 grant, Max and his team will develop a playbook that other cities across the country can implement to bring the Kanbe's Markets approach to their neighborhoods.

Asha Walker: Founder & CEO of Health in the Hood in South Florida. Asha is actively working to provide fresh, nutritious ingredients to the neighborhoods in South Florida that need it most. Asha is passionate about how food can be used as an equalizer—not a barrier. South Florida is home to 326 food desert neighborhoods, where thousands of residents have trouble accessing fresh, affordable food. Through her local nonprofit, Health in the Hood, Asha is working to change this. With the $50,000 grant from TRISCUIT, Asha will launch a new "garden to grocer" model that will employ local residents to harvest fresh fruits and vegetables from Health in the Hood's nine community gardens to sell at five local grocers in food desert neighborhoods.

TRISCUIT fans can learn more about Max and Asha this month when they take over the Triscuit Instagram channel, @Triscuit, and share a behind-the-scenes look at the work they do. 

How to apply

For more information on The Missing Ingredients Project and how to apply for a grant, visit https://www.triscuitmissingingredientsapplication.com/. Applications will be open now through July 10, 2021. Interested individuals who are passionate about the issue of food access in their communities can submit their application through the online web portal. Once applications are collected, a panel of judges representing the TRISCUIT brand and The Missing Ingredient Project's purpose driven mission will review submissions and select a recipient based on criteria found within the contest rules and application questions. The grant recipient will be selected by late summer 2021.