<p>FirstFruits Marketing has announced the recipients of grants for the Opal Apple Youth Make a Difference Initiative, which provides financial support to youth-led food and agriculture related non-profits.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>In January, the initiative began when FirstFruits announced its call for applications from nonprofit organizations to benefit from 2013 Opal sales.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>FirstFruits selected fifteen semi-finalists in April from the dozens of applications it received, and invited the public to vote for their favorite cause. Over 50,000 votes were tallied and six projects with the top votes will receive grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. Those projects include Seeds Feed Families in Clinton, Miss., The Veggie Time Project in D.C., Project Green Thumb in Jonesboro, Ark., YEA Corps: Expanding Produce Distribution in Sustainable Agriculture in Minneapolis, Minn., Fresh Start Garden in Minneapolis, Minn., and The South Rome Community Garden and Classroom in Rome, Ga.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“We were really encouraged by the number and variety of organizations that applied for funding,” said Keith Mathews, CEO. “We discovered so many worthy projects that we would have never come across otherwise. It is really inspiring to see the next generation striving to make a real difference in their communities on issues like hunger and healthy eating, the politics of food distribution, and the importance of community service.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Many children experience hunger, malnutrition or obesity, but very few understand where their food is sourced or how it is grown. With the Youth Make a Difference Initiative, First Fruits hopes to raise awareness for these issues and inspire youth to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.firstfruits.com/sales-information.html" target="_new">First Fruits Marketing</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
