We are committed to working collaboratively with community agencies to provide food to people struggling with food insecurity. Through this initiative, our goal is to offer emergency assistance to patients in need and connect them with local agencies that can help alleviate hunger.

Penn State Health Medical Group's food box initiative currently serves 200 families between two clinic sites participating in this program, with varying levels of patient need. With your support, we could expand to reach well over 1,000 patients and families who are struggling with food insecurity.

How It Works:

When patients come to a Penn State Health clinic, we assess their needs by asking them to respond to standardized food insecurity questions, like:

• Within the past 12 months, I worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more.
• Within the past 12 months, the food we bought just didn’t last and we didn’t have money to get more.

If a patient acknowledges that either of those statements is true, they will be offered a one-time, emergency food box. Each food box is able to sustain two to three people, with three meals a day for three days.

Our staff member will then note the distribution, using a site-specific tracking tool, and a social worker will be assigned to follow up with the patient to ensure that they get connected with either a federal assistance program like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), their local food pantry, or other community resources.