Sentara Healthcare gifts $500,000 to Federation of Virginia Food Banks

A partnership between Sentara Healthcare and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks will improve health outcomes through greater access to healthy foods and nutrition security resources.

Sentara Healthcare’s gift of a $500,000 grant, according to a press release, will align all seven Feeding America food banks in Virginia in a shared vision, the “Boundless Collaboration for Health Equity” initiative.

In the next three years, the initiative will transform the charitable food system with the establishment of a “healthy pantry” network. The initiative will also improve nutrition ranking systems and food sourcing policies at food banks, strengthen screening and referral partnerships with healthcare providers, and develop a data-sharing platform.

“The voices of our neighbors have been at the center of this initiative since the earliest stages,” Federation of Virginia Food Banks Executive Director Eddie Oliver said in the press release. “With partners like Sentara Healthcare, we can better invest in nutritious food today and break the cycle of nutrition insecurity and chronic disease.”

The federation supports seven food banks in Virginia and Washington, D.C. with building partnerships, securing resources, sharing data and raising awareness of food insecurity throughout the Commonwealth. In 2021, the seven food banks distributed 199 million pounds of food through 1,340 agency partners. The federation serves approximately 1 million individuals every year.

“Access to nutritious foods is essential for individuals to thrive by mitigating diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. By working with our trusted food bank partners, we are committed to getting healthy foods to every table,” Sherry Norquist, Director of Community Engagement and Impact at Sentara Healthcare, said in the press release. “Through our partnership with the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, we have joined together to promote equitable access to healthy food for all.”

The grant funding from Sentara Healthcare will also enable the federation to launch a statewide awareness campaign throughout September to support Hunger Action Month. The campaign will focus on greater awareness of the effects of nutrition insecurity on Virginia families and allow member food banks to fundraise and deploy more resources into communities most significantly impacted by poor food access.