[January 23, 2018] |
|
UnitedHealthcare Awards $150,000 in Grants to Help Advance Food Security in Florida Communities
UnitedHealthcare today awarded grants totaling $150,000 to five
community organizations focused on expanding access to nutritional foods
for Florida families and children.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180123006579/en/
Michael Lawton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida, announces that UnitedHealthcare is awarding $150,000 in grants to five partner organizations around the state to fight hunger and help make families more food secure during Children's Week at the Florida Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. L to R: Lori Richards, Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry; Lawton; Robin Safley, Feeding Florida (Photo: Lily Chanta).
According to Feeding Florida, 3.3 million Floridians, including 1.1
million children, are food insecure. The grant recipients, each of which
have received $30,000, will help families in North, Central and South
Florida with community- and school-based programs that include mobile
food pantries, learning gardens, farmer's market access, and meal
budgeting, planning and cooking demonstrations.
-
Feeding Northeast Florida (www.feedingnefl.org)
- The grant will be used to provide 4,000 low-income households in
eight counties access to fresh, healthy food distributed through
mobile food pantry events.
-
Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry (www.jaxbeam.org)
- The grant will fund individualized programs for 100 low-income
Jacksonville beach-area residents coping with nutrition-related
illness, as well as healthy-eating programs to 500 residents.
-
Feeding Children Everywhere (www.feedingchildreneverywhere.com)
- The grant will enable the organization to enhance access to
fresh produce for families living in food desert communities in the
Orlando area.
-
The Education Fund (www.educationfund.org)
- The grant will fund the expansion of the "Food Forest for Schools"
initiative that provides vegetable gardening and harvest programs in
Miami-Dade Public Schools.
-
Whole Child Leon (www.wholechildleon.org)
- The grant will provide 100 low-income, food-insecure families living
in Leon County with healthy eating, meal budgeting, cooking and
gardening workshops, and access to a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP)-accessible farmers market.
"UnitedHealthcare is partnering with these organizations to address a
significant health challenge in our state - ensuring children have the
food they need to grow and be healthy," said Michael Lawton, CEO of
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida. "The grants address the many
facets of hunger by providing fresh fruits and vegetables directly to
families living in food deserts, and nutrition education to households
across the state."
Lawton introduced the grant recipients at the state Capitol during
Florida's annual Children's Week. Children's Week is held during the
Florida legislative session that raises awareness for access to
education and health care, affordable childcare, nutrition and other
childhood issues.
Dave Green, CEO of Feeding Children Everywhere, said many Floridians
struggle to feed their families three meals a day, while others do not
have access to fresh produce. "They, instead, fill that void with
low-nutrition, high-calorie products. In collaboration with partners
like UnitedHealthcare, we are reaching out to families in need - whether
it's fighting hunger today or preventing obesity in the future."
According to 2017 America's Health Rankings, Florida ranks No. 14 in the
nation for obesity. Nearly 28 percent of adults in Florida are
considered obese.
"Getting children off to a solid start by providing them with nutritious
foods will go a long way toward improving their health and quality of
life," Lawton said. "UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to
support these organizations, each with a unique approach to tackling
hunger and helping families put nourishing food on their tables."
About UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare
is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit
programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees
and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and
contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and
6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare
is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a
diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com
or follow @UHC on Twitter (News - Alert).
Click
here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180123006579/en/
[ Back To Mobile World Congress's Homepage ]
|