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Hellertown Area Business Gets Giant Grant

Josh Popichak
Grants Giant Business Food

Microgreens (STOCK PHOTO)

Est. Read Time: 4 mins

Several Lehigh Valley food-centric businesses have received support in the form of grants from the Giant Company, including one business in Hellertown.

The company announced Monday that more than 100 businesses around the state are recipients of its emergency grant program, receiving awards of $2,500 to $15,000 each.

“Announced last month in partnership with Team Pennsylvania, the Giant Company originally designated $250,000 for the program, but due to the overwhelming response, the company decided to double the amount of funding available to $500,000,” Giant said in a news release. “In all, the company is awarding 110 grants to help support small businesses in Pennsylvania’s food supply chain impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Among them is MicroValley Farms of Lower Saucon Township, a sustainable indoor vertical farm that produces organic microgreens and pasture-raised eggs. Other area small businesses that received grants are Clear Spring Farm of Easton, Funk Brewing Company of Emmaus and Asher’s Chocolate Co. of Souderton.

“Reviewing more than 500 applications from small businesses across the Commonwealth confirmed what we knew in our hearts: that the pandemic is having a devastating impact on our small business community,” said Giant president Nicholas Bertram in the news release. “We’re inspired by the strength and stories of these local businesses that, in many cases, have been serving our communities for generations.”

Giant said more than 500 applications were received during the two-week application period. The 110 recipients from throughout the state entire represent multiple areas of the food supply chain including: dairy farms; beef, pork and poultry farms; processors; orchards; produce farms; apiaries; maple syrup producers; artisan cheesemakers; craft breweries, winemakers and cider producers; specialty yogurt, snack, sauce and condiment manufacturers; a coffee roaster; and a confectioner.

“We have been in business since 1887 and we are a 5th generation family-run business, said grant recipient Karen Thompson, owner of Clair D. Thompson and Sons Inc., a meat supplier in Jersey Shore, Lycoming County. “We’ve been through the Great Depression, floods and fire but this is by far the worst in modern memory because not only does it affect us but it affects all of our customers.”

“It has been very stressful, and this grant has helped to alleviate some of that pressure,” Thompson said. “We are extremely grateful and appreciate the Giant Company for this grant that we shall use to continue our employees’ insurance benefits during the time they are forced off work, to help with expenses to continue additional sanitation and to upgrade our facility to meet this new market demand for individual packaging.”

Fifty-five percent of the grants were awarded to PA Preferred companies and companies with special designations (LGBT-owned, veteran-owned, women-owned, minority-owned, USDA defined beginner rancher/farmer, USDA defined socially disadvantaged and limited resource farmer) account for more than half of the grants awarded, Giant said.

The following list includes the names of the other small businesses that received grants:

The GIANT Company and Team Pennsylvania also worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Chamber, and Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association to develop the program.

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