Originally published by Humana Inc.
Humana Inc. is partnering with the non-profit Feeding America to help end hunger, a problem that impacts one in eight Americans. By working collaboratively, the two organizations will focus on helping veterans, as research shows one in five of the households Feeding America serves has at least one member who has served in the U.S. military.
“Humana is committed to improving the health of communities across the country as part of our Bold Goal initiative, and a key component of that is addressing food insecurity as poor nutrition can lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression and fatigue in adults and can hinder a child’s development,” said Ed Sandrick, director of the Veterans Channel, Humana. “No one should suffer from food insecurity, especially the service men and women who risked their lives to protect our country. We are thrilled to work with Feeding America as it amplifies our ability to honor those who served and help individuals who do not have access to enough nutritionally- adequate foods to live an active, healthy life.”
Leveraging Feeding America’s network of more than 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, Humana will stage a series of events throughout the year that will drive food donations and elevate the issue of food insecurity, including:
- Rolling Thunder XXXI: As the official corporate sponsor of the annual Rolling Thunder Run which is the largest gathering of military retirees, veterans, active duty military and Vietnam Veterans Humana will use its presence in Washington D.C. over Memorial Day Weekend to collect food and financial donations. For every $1 donated, Feeding America will be able to provide 10 meals* to people facing hunger.
- VFW National Convention : Humana, through its ongoing partnership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. and local Feeding America food banks in Kansas City (Harvesters: The Community Food Network and After the Harvest), will launch a collaborative campaign to fight food insecurity in the Greater Kansas City area. The goal of the campaign, which will culminate during the 119th VFW National Convention in Kansas City from July 21-25, 2018, is to provide 50,000 meals to local individuals in need, with a special focus on veterans, via community-wide initiatives.
- Rock ‘n Roll Marathons : Humana is conducting food and fund drives at company sponsored Rock ‘n Roll Marathon Series events across the country, with upcoming runs in Chicago, Virginia Beach, Va., Savannah, Ga., and San Antonio, Texas. The proceeds raised in each market will be donated to food banks in each respective market.
In addition to these initiatives, Humana is partnering with Feeding America-affiliated food banks in each of the Bold Goal communities (Baton Rouge, Broward County, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Louisville, New Orleans, San Antonio and Tampa Bay) on efforts to improve the health and accessibility to food at the local level.
“At Feeding America, we know that one in five households that come to us for help has a member who has served our country,” said Andy Wilson, Chief Development Officer, Feeding America. “We are grateful for our partners at Humana and look forward to working together to help ensure our military families not face the challenge of putting food on the table.”
Humana and Feeding America are also working with physicians to help identify potential barriers and provide assistance to patients who are food insecure. Together, they developed an online toolkit to guide physicians in implementing food insecurity screenings and connect patients to available resources and interventions.
