Community Stories - Innovia Foundation

Backyard Harvest delivers fresh produce to food-insecure community members

Backyard Harvest’s four-county service region – Asotin, Whitman, Latah and Nez Perce – contains over 25,000 food-insecure people, including 10,000 people who rely on food access programs. And yet, the food donated to these programs is not always healthy; the obesity rate in the counties is over 28%. Fortunately, the region also contains farmers and […]

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Chief Joseph Foundation helps Nez Perce youth grow and connect to their heritage

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On the Nez Perce Reservation and in surrounding areas, young people often lack a safe, drug-free place to spend time during after-school hours. Many also lack mentorship from elder community members, creating a disconnect between newer generations and their heritage. The Chief Joseph Foundation (CJF)’s Mounted Scholars Program gives Nez Perce youth a positive after-school

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Nonprofit vitalizes rural communities in the Palouse with leadership training courses

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Rural Development Initiatives (RDI) is a nonprofit organization committed to supporting rural communities in today’s challenging economy. One of RDI’s primary methods of vitalizing rural communities is its Rural Community Leadership Program, a highly interactive course that is designed for a varied set of community members. Innovia Foundation, Avista and Empire Health Foundation are the

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Kaniksu Land Trust plans 160-acre community forest

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A 2017 summer camp held by Kaniksu Land Trust (KLT) allowed disadvantaged children to play in forests and wetlands, climb trees, build shelters and have other adventures in nature. KLT’s outdoor educator Dave reluctantly told the kids that the 75 acres they were playing on would be sold that September. Many of the kids wanted

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Shelter feeds and houses Spokane’s homeless youth

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Each year, 500 teens turn to Crosswalk for a warm meal, a hot shower and refuge from the streets. For more than 32 years, the emergency youth shelter has provided life-saving and life-changing programs to address youth homelessness in Spokane. “Crosswalk is a place of hope, strength and safety for young people who would otherwise

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Film production workshop opens media-related opportunities for minorities

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In Spokane, the percentage of women and minorities working in film production is low or – in some areas – close to non-existent. Community-Minded Enterprises (CME), which owns local television station CMTV14, is committed to increasing representation for women and minorities in this field. A $25,000 Community Strategies grant from Innovia Foundation helped to fund

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Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper keeps local waters swimmable, fishable and drinkable

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Thousands of Bonner County residents and visitors visit Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille river to swim and fish. The lake and river also provide a source of clean water for drinking and irrigation. But the water does not stay clean on its own, especially due to water pollutants such as pesticides, wastewater and

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“Every person deserves healthy food every day.”

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One out of every eight people in the Inland Northwest struggles with hunger. For the region’s children, the number is one out of every five. Especially in rural areas – where hunger-relief services are scarcer – many low-income families simply do not have the food they need to live healthy and happy lives. Each day,

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Medical research institute seeks cure for ALS

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Each year, over 5,600 people are newly diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which gradually deteriorates motor neurons in the brain and usually causes death within three to five years. As their muscles atrophy, ALS sufferers slowly lose the ability to move, eat, speak and – eventually – breathe. Medical professionals are as helpless to

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Nonprofit vitalizes rural communities with leadership training courses

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