Pompeian and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore Renew Commitment to Bettering Baltimore

BALTIMORE  --– Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore and Baltimore-based Pompeian, Inc., America's largest national brand of olive oil on a mission to help people eat, live and feel better, announced today the continuation and expansion of its Healthy Harbor partnership, a renewed commitment to making the Baltimore Harbor and surrounding communities a cleaner, greener and more joyful place for all. After a fruitful first year of working together, including the removal of 220 tons of waste from the Baltimore Harbor and successfully completing eleven neighborhood cleanup projects, Pompeian and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore are excited to get back out into the community and do even more good in 2022.

The second year of the partnership kicks off with the announcement of an expanded Community Cleanup and Beautification grants program with Pompeian increasing its commitment from 2021 to $30,000. Additionally, Pompeian will be re-adopting Mr. Trash Wheel and Professor Trash Wheel, now on track to remove an additional 220 total tons of waste from the Baltimore Harbor by the end of 2022. In 2021, the beloved interceptors donned new looks with olive green eyes and large spinning olives – all of which are here to stay through this extended partnership.

"Pompeian has been a committed and generous partner to the trash wheels and our Healthy Harbor programs over the last year, and we are thrilled to continue working with them to build upon our longstanding commitment to better Baltimore's neighborhoods and improve water quality through community-led improvement projects," said Adam Lindquist, vice president of programs and environmental initiatives at Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.

Since the partnership launch in spring 2021, Waterfront Partnership has distributed $25,000 in Pompeian-funded grants to neighboring communities helping clean and beautify East Baltimore. In its first year of work, Pompeian completed eleven projects utilizing grants funds to improve community gathering spaces, the quality of water and the overall environment at a time when having safe outdoor spaces was of paramount importance. In the Milton Montford neighborhood, a gravel park was transformed into a more welcoming public space with the addition of native plants to attract birds and butterflies. In Middle East, grant funds brought neighbors together for dialogue around trash and to plant pots with native perennials. In McElderry Park, grant funds supported five monthly clean up events featuring live music to bring neighbors together around the theme of bettering their community. These events added value to local communities by drawing people closer together during a time of isolation and uncertainty, and the partners look forward to broadening their impact in the year to come.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Community Cleanup and Beautification Grants Program. Communities with ideas for projects that will clean and beautify public spaces and reduce the amount of trash and other pollution ending up in the harbor are encouraged to complete a grant interest form at waterfrontpartnership.org/healthy-harbor/community-beautification-grants.

The grants program goes beyond financial awards and engages environmental stewards in the Baltimore community through assistance with implementation of greening projects, grant workshops and boating tours of Baltimore's waterfront courtesy of Waterfront Partnership.

"Pompeian has been integrated into the history of this city for over 115 years, so we love any opportunity to give back to the neighborhoods and people that have gotten us to where we are today," said Mouna Aissaoui, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Pompeian, Inc. "The harbor in particular is a lifeline for our business and critical to our daily transportation of high-quality olive oil. When thinking of how to pay homage to a city that has given us so much, partnering again with The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore was a no-brainer."

This year, employees from Pompeian's Baltimore headquarters will continue to volunteer and participate in the restoration of Baltimore's Inner Harbor, including oyster gardening, community cleanups and walking and boating tours to learn about the environmental history and work that goes into restoring the health of Baltimore's Harbor.

Healthy Harbor has been operating Mr. Trash Wheel since 2014 and has been conducting community work in Baltimore since 2016, partnering with a network of residents, community leaders and community associations on cleanups, water-themed community art, community gardens and recycling bin giveaways centered around bringing awareness to how actions upstream impact the health of the Harbor and city.

Pompeian has always strived to be an active member of the Baltimore community. Through Pompeian's Olive Branch Project, the company has made an impact on the surrounding area by providing education, clothing and food donations, as well as working with non-profits and offering scholarships for employees' families. Pompeian's visitor center opened in 2017 and has hosted hundreds of visitors for educational events for local schools and community groups each year. As a brand that is 100% farmer owned, Pompeian is always looking for ways to give back to the people that make it all possible, whether it's on their farms, in their offices or right here, to the people in Baltimore.

The Healthy Harbor Initiative provides a roadmap for cleaning up Baltimore's Harbor and the waterways leading to the Harbor. A clean Harbor and clean streams will provide opportunities for residents and area families to enjoy clean water in their neighborhoods. Greener and cleaner neighborhoods will make Baltimore City and Baltimore County more livable for all our citizens. For more information, visit healthyharbor.org.

Waterfront Partnership, in collaboration with our government, business, and community partners, creates a clean, green, safe, sustainable and thriving urban waterfront for all to enjoy. We're lean, nimble and effective; the only organization that wakes up every day, rolls its sleeves up and gets to work on new ways we can make Baltimore's Waterfront even more active, attractive and appealing. We're the hosts who greet visitors, the creators of programs and promotions and managers of our beautiful parks. We encourage investment in Baltimore's most celebrated asset so it can continue to grow, to serve as a place of pride and the place where Baltimoreans come together to recreate and to celebrate. For more information, visit waterfrontpartnership.org.

Pompeian, Inc. – The Olive Oil People - is America's largest national brand of olive oil, bestselling vinegars and a variety of cooking sprays. Farmer owned and Baltimore based since 1906, Pompeian is a family of olive farmers and olive oil craftsmen whose passion, expertise and dedication bring the best-tasting, highest-quality olive oils to kitchens everywhere. Upholding the highest quality standards, Pompeian conducts daily testing through their in-house quality assurance team in the state-of-the-art Pompeian Quality Control and Research & Development Center ensuring each bottle is always at peak freshness. Inspired by heritage and tradition, Pompeian products are rooted in authenticity and crafted for quality and great taste. For more information, visit www.pompeian.com.