HATCH invests $850K to expand protein access through Fresh Connect Central

HATCH is putting $850,000 into Indianapolis-based Fresh Connect Central to expand protein processing, packaging and freight support for food banks nationwide. The investment is designed to move more family-sized protein servings through the charitable food system and into communities facing hunger.

Why it matters: - Protein is often the hardest food for families facing hunger to access, especially when budgets are tight. - HATCH’s investment is aimed at expanding the infrastructure that lets food banks accept, process and distribute more protein nationwide. - The funding is intended to turn more available supply into ready-to-cook portions that can reach families faster.

What happened: - HATCH announced an $850,000 commitment to Fresh Connect Central at last week’s Fresh Connect Central Power of Partnerships Conference. - The nonprofit is investing $750,000 in Fresh Connect Central, which is operated by Indianapolis-based Gleaners Food Bank. - HATCH is adding another $100,000 in freight support to move more protein through the charitable food system. - The investment is designed to expand protein access for food banks across the country.

The details: - The $750,000 will support new processing and packaging capacity at Fresh Connect Central. - The upgrade includes vertical bagging, cutting and grinding capabilities. - Those capabilities will allow bulk protein shipments to be cut, portioned and packaged into family-sized servings. - That processing capacity is a key factor in whether protein can be accepted at the food bank or pantry level. - The extra freight funding is meant to help move more protein from American producers into food banks and, ultimately, families. - Fred Glass, CEO of Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, said the donation will allow significantly more protein to flow through the Feeding America network and to neighbors in need. - Fresh Connect Central has operated since 2017 as a social enterprise sourcing and distributing produce, protein, dairy and dry goods for the hunger relief network.

Between the lines: - HATCH is focusing on infrastructure, not just supply, to address protein insecurity. - The strategy reflects a broader bottleneck in charitable food systems: food can exist in the pipeline, but without processing and freight capacity, it may not reach pantries in usable form. - Daniel Leckie, CEO of HATCH, said the investment is about building the infrastructure needed to move protein efficiently, affordably and at scale. - HATCH says each dollar spent on infrastructure translates into more pounds of protein reaching a family’s table.

What's next: - Fresh Connect Central is expected to use the new investment to expand how much protein it can process and package. - The freight support is expected to help move more product through the Feeding America network. - HATCH will continue working with hunger relief organizations to broaden access to complete nutrition. - Gleaners will keep operating Fresh Connect Central as part of its wider hunger relief network.

The bottom line: - HATCH is betting that better logistics and processing capacity can unlock more protein for food banks nationwide, not just more donations.