At Hunger and Health Coalition, we go upstream to address the root cause of health inequity through wrap-around services.
Here's how...
At Hunger and Health Coalition, our food services go beyond your typical food pantry.
We provide non-perishable pantry items and frozen meat through our Pantry, fresh produce and bread from our Market, and ready-to-eat meals from our Food Recovery Kitchen.
We also collaborate with pig farmers to reduce food waste while providing our clients with the best quality food possible. Working with over 20+ farmers directly, we value supporting our local economy and small businesses.
Health Services
Health equity goes hand-in-hand with our food security efforts. Our Food is Medicine Initiative includes medically-tailored food boxes, free nutrition counseling with a Registered Dietitian, healthy recipe ideas and nutrition handouts, and protein drinks to address and prevent malnutrition.
Meanwhile, our pharmacy provides life sustaining medications for those who are uninsured and underinsured in The High Country. Medications include insulin, inhalers, antidepressants, etc. Our pharmacy does not supply controlled substances/narcotics.
We believe these wrap-around services are the solution to true health equity, and goes beyond only reactionary services.
Mobile Delivery
Rural Appalachia also presents transportation barriers. The average distance from a true grocery store for our clients is approximately 3 true miles, not to mention the added distance of our curvy mountainous roads, which are not walkable. All of our services are available through mobile delivery.
Every two weeks, our mobile delivery clients receive the same quality food and medications as needed, as well as home or telehealth visits from our Registered Dietitians.
Our food donations have also gone mobile, through our A Simple Gesture Program. Every two months volunteers drive different routes to pick up our green bags full of non-perishable food items. It's our rear-round food drive!
Community
Most importantly, we focus on community. As an organization 40 years strong in The High Country, our neighbors are not only the why but also the how of what we do.
We host several cookouts, focus groups, and surveys to connect with our community and understand the needs that drive our programming.
We are currently establishing a Community Committee, made up of a diverse group of community members to further drive our vision and shape our services.