For many of us, food drives are winter activities: helping our communities to enjoy a special meal during the holidays, and keeping food on the table when it’s cold outside. What so many don’t realize, however, is that summer is actually a more difficult time for families dealing with food insecurity. A decrease in donations, compounded with kids being out of school and not receiving free/reduced breakfast and lunch, makes summer a tougher time for families in need.

According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank’s 2017 Hunger in Rhode Island Report, the prevalence of hunger in Rhode Island is at an all-time high. Making matters more difficult, Congress is planning to take away tens of billions of dollars from safety-net programs, including vital health and nutrition programs. The Rhode Island Community Food Bank and its network of member agencies are operating near capacity, serving 57,000 people each month, and will have a difficult time compensating for major cuts to federal nutrition programs. This is a huge problem at any time of the year – but particularly in July and August.

Like many other local companies, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) is acutely aware of this issue, and we are working hard to improve food security across the state. Knowing you can reliably feed your family a healthy meal is critical to both physical and mental well-being, so we have focused our philanthropy and partnerships on under-resourced communities, as food insecurity is a direct result of poverty and limited (or no) access to necessary resources. We’ve partnered with several organizations across the state that are helping to meet this need and fill the widening gaps related to poverty and hunger:

• Pawtucket YMCA – It is widely known that there are strong links between food insecurity and obesity. In under-served communities there is often a lack of access of healthy food and an increased access to fast food – this is known as a food swamp. When parents and guardians feel that they have no other options but to choose fast food, children develop unhealthy habits and grow up unaware of how these choices are affecting their health. The Pawtucket YMCA prioritizes this issue by providing healthy dinners nightly to members of the community. BCBSRI has granted Pawtucket YMCA with a BlueAngel Community Health Grant to support the positive impact this program has on this community.

• McAuley House – For 10 years and counting, BCBSRI has partnered with McAuley House to sponsor the “Lunch on Us at McAuley House”. Each year, our gift covers the cost of more than 5,000 nutritious breakfast, lunch and takeaway dinner meals, ensuring the most vulnerable women, children and men in our community have access to nourishing food. The McAuley House uses food service to meet basic needs within the community, but also as a way to get folks in the door to provide other social services that can improve their quality of life.

• Rhode Island Public Health Institute – Rhode Island Public Health Institute’s “Rhody Food on the Move” mobile food market addresses the lack of access to affordable, healthy food in underserved neighborhoods throughout the state, while helping to meet a growing demand for local food and a sustainable local food system. The mobile market brings fresh fruits and vegetables directly to community centers and spaces in these neighborhoods. BCBSRI provided a BlueAngel Community Health Grant to help expand the markets to additional schools and family housing sites and helped fund evening markets to reach working parents.

• Rhode Island Community Food Bank – BCBSRI has been partnering with the Rhode Island Community Food Bankfor over 20 years – through food drives, volunteering and more. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for all Rhode Islanders by advancing solutions to the problem of hunger through compassion, fostering health, innovation, collaboration and accountability. They are at the epicenter of improving food insecurity within the state and are making strides to alleviate this severe need.

• Farm Fresh Rhode Island – Farm Fresh Rhode Island has a mission to grow a local food system that values the environment, health, and quality of life of the farmers and eaters in our region, and BCBSRI has been a proud partner since the organization launched in 2004. We awarded Farm Fresh Rhode Island with a BlueAngel Community Health Grant for its Healthy Families program, which provides free nutrition education to low-income families and incentives for families receiving nutrition assistance vouchers that can be redeemed for fresh, local produce.

• Rhode Island’s Summer Food Service Program – We’re also a big supporter of the state’s Summer Food Service Program, as this program solely focuses on the challenges families who are economically damaged or stressed when school lets out for summer. They offer this program at a variety of parks and recreations sites in almost every community across the state, in areas where children typically congregate during the summer season. Kids are able to play games, make new friends, and go home with a full and satisfied tummy. BCBSRI has supported this program through marketing materials, funding, and additional promotion on its social channels and blog.

As the prevalence of hunger across the state and country continues to worsen, it’s important to further expand existing programs and implement new ones. This summer, we hope Rhode Islanders join us in setting the table and help others receive support and basic nutritional needs for healthy living.

As a manager for BCBSRI Case Management Kathleen supports nurses, dietitians, social workers, and community resource specialists who help members identify and meet their health goals. From prevention, access to care, managing complex or chronic conditions, researching potential prescription or co-payment or assistance programs, patient advocacy, and education – the Case Management department works diligently to address your personal needs. You can contact Case Management by calling 401-459-2273 or emailing Triage_Group@bcbsri.org – or stop by any one of the Your Blue Store retail locations to meet a member of the team in person.  
https://www.bcbsri.com/yourbluestore