Florida Blue increases local investments in food security programs to more than $16 million

Florida Blue Foundation awards further $3.73 million in grants to revolutionary group programs making a significant influence in combat towards starvation and food insecurity

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An estimated 2.2 million Floridians lack entry to wholesome food, together with simply over 660,000 kids, in accordance to Feeding America. Today, the Florida Blue Foundation introduced one other main funding to handle food insecurity in the state with $3.73 million in grants awarded to 10 community-based programs.

The newest funding brings the overall funding in food security programs from Florida Blue and its Foundation to more than $16 million over the past 4 years.

“Healthy communities need healthy food. When people don’t have enough food or must choose inexpensive foods with little nutritional value, it can seriously impact their health and well-being. Each year, more than $4.2 billion in health care costs are associated with food insecurity in our state,” mentioned Pat Geraghty, Florida Blue and InformationWell president and CEO.

“The rising cost of food has only made this issue worse for our state. Florida Blue is focused on ensuring every person in Florida has reliable and affordable access to nutritious food and the knowledge of how to make it an enjoyable part of their daily lives,” mentioned Geraghty 

The 10 nonprofit organizations receiving the most recent $3.73 million in funding from the Florida Blue Foundation will use the grants for community-based food security initiatives that not solely present entry to dietary food however handle obstacles to food security in their communities.

“Food insecurity is a highly complex issue. Each community’s relationship and access to food is unique. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this issue,” mentioned Susan Towler, government director of the Florida Blue Foundation. “These Florida Blue Foundation grants will fund programs that directly improve access to and quality of food security for people at the neighborhood level, particularly in communities with underserved, racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income populations. We selected these 10 organizations because we believe they can make a meaningful and lasting impact in their communities.”

Today’s announcement occurred on the headquarters of one of many grant recipients, Hispanic Unity of Florida in Hollywood, whose $400,000 in funding will assist its Comprando Rico y Sano (Buying Healthy and Delicious Foods) program. The program seeks to scale back food insecurity confronted by various and multi-cultural working people and households in Broward County food deserts. As a part of this system, group members take part in cooking lessons and demonstrations to find out how to put together tasty, wholesome culturally related meals for his or her household.

The different 9 grant recipients from throughout the state embrace:

• Indian River County Department of Health – $381,000 – To construct a countywide framework that makes use of the county Department of Health’s partnership community to enhance diet and food security all through the county, with specific consideration to food deserts.
• Feeding Florida (Statewide) – $399,000 – To develop the Fresh Access Bucks (FAB) program that makes contemporary, local produce more inexpensive and accessible to low-income households whereas supporting Florida’s farmers and enhancing local economies.
• House of Hope (Stuart) — $328,000 – To serve food insecure people in Martin County by food distributions at their consumer alternative pantries and food financial institution companion websites, diet schooling lessons, complete case administration, and referrals for wraparound providers.
• Jewish Family and Community Services (Jacksonville) — $380,000– To develop the Max Block Food Pantry to embrace satellite tv for pc food pantries at two underserved faculties in Jacksonville and supply diet and monetary literacy schooling to the households served.
• Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services (Palm Beach County) — $328,000 — To improve capability on the Jewish Family Services food pantry, improve the variety of shoppers served, and supply diet schooling to food insecure households and seniors in Palm Beach County.
• Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Foundation — $356,000 – To present entry to food and diet schooling to working, food insecure people in the Big Bend area by three elements: earnings and schooling intervention; group academic seminars; and a group food security summit.
• Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA — $356,000 – To present a Veggie Van that meets the wants of food insecure seniors by offering nutritious produce and schooling, for gratis to shoppers, eradicating the barrier to wholesome food choices.
• University Area Community Development Corporation (Tampa) — $400,000 — To develop entry to wholesome and nutritious food by free cellular food markets in the food insecure group of the University Area and supply schooling to the group on the weather of food sovereignty.   
• Valencia College Foundation (Orlando) — $399,000 – To develop and formalize current food pantries on three campuses, present wholesome and dietary meals for college kids and their households, and supply diet schooling to enhance general well being.

About the Florida Blue Foundation 

The Florida Blue Foundation allows wholesome communities by making grants, constructing coalitions and embracing options that create a significant influence in its communities. More than 8 million Floridians have obtained providers on account of its group investments since its founding in 2001. The Florida Blue Foundation’s programs are centered on advancing psychological well-being, bettering well being fairness, impacting food security and addressing systemic racism and ensuing well being disparities. Florida Blue Foundation is a commerce title of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please go to www.FloridaBlueFoundation.com.

About Florida Blue   

Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield firm, has been offering medical insurance to residents of Florida for more than 75 years. Driven by its mission of serving to folks and communities obtain higher well being, the corporate serves more than 6 million members throughout the state. Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., it’s an unbiased licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. 

SOURCE Florida Blue Foundation