Tackling Food Insecurity is Focus of Grant
Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, with funding from the Florida Blue Foundation, is starting a unique program to help families in the Big Bend who are on the cusp of food insecurity.
This program is unique in that it will not simply address an immediate crisis by providing food, but will take a holistic approach and provide both financial and nutrition education as well as a monetary stipend which will decrease over time as the educational sessions continue. The program will focus on individuals who are in danger of food insecurity — which includes those working full-or part-time jobs and who are just above the threshold to receive assistance from other agencies.
The four-year initiative will be funded by a $356,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation. Each year, a group of up to 50 individuals will be admitted to the 12-month program. In addition to financial and nutrition education, participants will also learn practical, hands-on skills, such as how to shop for healthy foods on a budget in neighborhood grocery or convenience stores, as many individuals live in what is considered a food desert, an area where individuals have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.
TMH and Florida Blue announced the program Wednesday, Nov. 30 during a joint news conference in the TMH Auditorium.
“As our region’s healthcare leader, TMH has always been acutely aware of food insecurity, which became even more serious during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said TMH President & CEO Mark O’Bryant. “Over the years, TMH has had several initiatives to identify and help patients and others who are struggling with food insecurity. Now, with the support of the Florida Blue Foundation, we are ready to move forward with a more robust program to serve the community and provide a holistic approach that will make a long-term impact on families.”
"Access to healthy and nutritious foods is critical to the health and well-being of our communities," said Pat Geraghty, president and CEO of GuideWell and Florida Blue. "This grant for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, one of 10 Food Security Grants the Florida Blue Foundation is providing to organizations across the state, will focus on education and prevention by providing customized training and programming for hands-on help to families in need. We are grateful for community partners like Tallahassee Memorial who share our vision for healthier communities."
The program will be run through the Tallahassee Memorial Employee Assistant Program (EAP), which serves 18 organizations throughout the Big Bend. This new program will have four main components:
- Education and income intervention
- Student intern immersion training with students from Florida State University’s social work and dietitian programs
- Community seminars and workshops
- A food security summit, where local leaders will be invited to learn about the program’s progress and build bridges to other organizations in our region to make an even bigger impact.
The goals of the program are to identify and help individuals on the cusp of food insecurity before it becomes a crisis; provide education so that individuals can be informed consumers; and work with other organizations and stakeholders to address the issue of food security and develop community wide solutions.
During this round of grant awards focused on food security, the Florida Blue Foundation provided $3,730,000 to 10 organizations, including the TMH Foundation.
