- Maggie Baird receives Captain Planet Foundation’s Superhero for Earth award
- Support + Feed combats food insecurity in 11 U.S. cities and 3 continents
- 1.7M+ youths educated through foundation’s environmental programs since 1991
Maggie Baird, renowned environmental advocate and mother of musicians Billie Eilish and Finneas, was celebrated at a Atlanta gala for her transformative work addressing interconnected climate and hunger crises. Her nonprofit Support + Feed has established meal distribution networks in nearly a dozen American metropolitan areas while implementing sustainable agriculture partnerships in Europe, Australia, and the UK.
The Captain Planet Foundation, co-founded by media pioneer Ted Turner, recognized Baird’s unique model pairing immediate food assistance with long-term systemic change. Our daily victories matter as much as policy shifts,Baird emphasized during her acceptance speech, highlighting a Philadelphia initiative that diverted 12 tons of surplus produce to homeless shelters while training restaurants in zero-waste practices last quarter.
Industry Insight 1: A 2024 Global Nonprofit Trends Report shows organizations blending direct aid with environmental programming saw 73% higher donor retention rates. Industry Insight 2: Celebrity-affiliated climate initiatives generate 4.2x more social media engagement than traditional campaigns. Industry Insight 3: Urban farming projects reduce city carbon footprints by 18% on average when integrated with food banks.
Atlanta’s Eastside community exemplifies Support + Feed’s impact – a partnership with Clark Atlanta University created a student-run vertical farm supplying 40% of cafeteria greens while providing paid sustainability internships. This regional case study has become a blueprint for Los Angeles and Chicago expansions.
Baird acknowledged her children’s Grammy-winning platform amplifies urgent climate messages: Artists remind us what we’re fighting to preserve.The gala concluded with Captain Planet Foundation announcing a new youth fellowship program funded by 15% of the evening’s $2.3M proceeds.