FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Sund
Director of Development and Communications
Phone: 507.269.2885
Email: [email protected]
Winona, MN – July 13th, 2021 Channel One Regional Food Bank is partnering with Second Harvest Heartland and Winona Health to provide nutritious meals to those with chronic health conditions. Participating Winona Health patients will receive monthly boxes of food from Second Harvest Heartland’s FOODRx program, which provides tailored prescriptions of food and education to people with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“The FOODRx program is the first of its kind in Southeastern Minnesota, which is commonly known as a healthcare destination. We’re hoping that the pilot program in Winona will help us grow partnerships with other healthcare providers in the region, so that people throughout Minnesota with specific dietary restrictions will have access to the food they need,” explained Virginia Merritt, Executive Director of Channel One.
Dedicated to building meaningful connections between patients, health care partners and food security solutions, FOODRx integrates with health care systems across Minnesota to provide holistic health care and food security. The rapidly growing FOODRx program was originally designed by Second Harvest Heartland to address the food security needs of low-income patients who do not have the means to buy healthy food that meets their medical needs. This new program integration and expansion in Winona will bring tailored, nutritious food options to patients with chronic conditions, regardless of their income level.
“The idea with FOODRx is to leverage the power of food banks—expert food movers—and health care systems—expert disease treaters—to deliver healing food to patients living with chronic disease,” said Jana Martin, registered dietitian and FOODRx program manager at Second Harvest Heartland.
The FOODRx boxes are created by registered dietitians and are designed to meet the dietary and nutritional needs of people living with certain conditions. They contain healthy food items like canned fruits and vegetables, whole grains and quality protein sources. Each box also contains educational materials, including delicious recipes that can be prepared using the contents of the box.
A unique feature of the FOODRx program coming to Winona Health, however, is that Channel One Regional Food Bank will be organizing home delivery– where prescription boxes of food are delivered directly to participating Winona Health patients.
“We believe that by offering home delivery of healthy food options, we can eliminate transportation as a barrier to food access for clients that are already facing chronic health concerns,” said Merritt.
Managed by the healthcare partnerships team at Second Harvest Heartland, FOODRx is currently integrated into Hennepin Healthcare, Lakewood Health System, North Memorial Health Care,
Mayo Clinic – Mankato and UCare.
“We spent seven years testing different ways to integrate food security solutions into health care settings, connecting health care teams to their patients with nutrition and education. Channel One is taking this work a critical step further by expanding into the Winona area and offering home-delivery, removing a significant barrier to nutrition for patients,” said Martin.
Winona Health is currently using the FOODRx program in conjunction with a “Food as Medicine” study with support from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Through the FOODRx program, Channel One Food Bank, Second Harvest Heartland, and Winona Health hope to make a lasting impact on the overall health of Minnesota residents.
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Channel One Regional Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, strengthens food access and builds healthy communities. Channel One operates food programs to serve local and area needs such as: a food bank, a food shelf, mobile pantries, Childhood Hunger Programs, and the Nutrition Assistance Program for Seniors (NAPS). Channel One Regional Food Bank mobilizes organizations, volunteers, and donors to serve the network of more than 200 nonprofit programs that provide food for children, adults, and families in need. Channel One serves 14 counties across southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. For more information, call 507.287.2350 or visit helpingfeedpeople.org
Second Harvest Heartland works to end hunger through partnerships. Last year our work provided more than 105 million meals to 360 food shelves and nearly 1,000 partner programs, supporting the more than one in nine people facing hunger in our region of 59 Minnesota and western Wisconsin counties. Second Harvest Heartland is more than a food bank. We’re a leading partner in the policies and programs that work to end hunger, like SNAP, school meals and senior nutrition programs, and we’re an innovator in the areas where food can be the solution, like FOODRx and Minnesota Central Kitchen. For more information, visit 2harvest.org or call 651-484-5117.
