Food Bank News

More food pantries are starting to recommit to in-person, client-choice markets as the transactional nature of grab-n-go distributions, popular during the pandemic, starts to wear thin. https://lnkd.in/e7sejM3v

If current changes in Medicaid continue to gain momentum, massive government funding will become available to support healthy food distribution. Nonprofits need to jump in already, to help steer this important work, said speakers at Food Research & Action Center's Anti Hunger Policy Conference earlier this month. #FoodisMedicine https://lnkd.in/gcSxChWZ Gideon Adams, R.J. Briscione, Alyson Rosenthal, Luisa Furstenberg-Beckman, MPH

The USDA's new Sun Bucks summer feeding program is expected to reach 21 million kids, a massive expansion from the three million kids who utilized summer feeding in 2022. The USDA is looking to food banks and pantries to help it get the word out about this powerful new program. https://lnkd.in/e5qWW3ME

Feeding Tampa Bay's new $60 million facility has everything it needs to meet increased demand for food, but just as important is its goal of providing wraparound services -- like help with housing, healthcare and job training -- so people can overcome food insecurity for good. https://lnkd.in/eKU5VnRu

To pull off audacious food recoveries like the 13.5 million pounds of apples it rescued last year, The Farmlink Project knows it needs committed collaborators. To that end, it's asking hunger relief orgs to sign a pledge of cooperation. https://lnkd.in/etARyMnb

A couple weeks ago at the Food as Medicine Summit, I had the honor of speaking on a panel about the power of partnerships in Food as Medicine, alongside thoughtful expert panelists Martin Tull, Leslie Jefferson, MS, CNS, LDN, MBA, CISM, Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD, Ken Erickson, and Austin Price. I am proud to uplift the incredible strides that food banks are making in Food as Medicine, while also advocating for sustainable investments and partnerships to scale their work. Enduring healthcare, research, technology, and philanthropy partnerships are key to our success. Special thank you to the food banks who joined the summit in the audience and on stage, as well as our Food as Medicine partners at Elevance Health Foundation who help make our work possible. To learn more about the panel and “How Nonprofits are Staking a Claim in Food is Medicine,” check out this article by Food Bank News: https://lnkd.in/gZjisTng.

Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC is currently serving 500 patients through its Food is Medicine program. Under its three-year plan, it expects to serve 14,000 patients and receive insurance reimbursements of $24 million annually. https://lnkd.in/gjeRNqSg

A program that the USDA started a few years ago to help local farmers grow nutritious food for vulnerable communities has worked out exceedingly well. While funding to make the #LFPA program permanent remains unclear, food banks are committed to maintaining their relationships with local farmers and producers. Susan Lightfoot Schempf https://lnkd.in/g6FdnXf3

A lot of entities are vying for the #FoodisMedicine healthcare dollars that are becoming available to provide people with nutritious food. San Antonio Food Bank has a vision that would let food banks partner with grocery stores in Food is Medicine, rather than compete with them. https://lnkd.in/erJtWwU4

Food is Medicine Coalition is hoping that the standard it released around medically tailored meals will get more nonprofit organizations to adopt high-quality, nutritious meals as a way to treat chronic disease. Food & Friends in DC became the first nonprofit to get accredited. https://lnkd.in/eCnyfU25