Scarborough, Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets and the Hannaford Charitable Foundation announced more than $1.5 million in donations to support the prioritization of wholesome, fresh and nutritious foods as part of a comprehensive health care plan for under-resourced individuals and families in New England and New York.
The donation is the element of Hannaford’s new “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative, which highlights the importance of nutritious food in achieving long-term wellness for food insecure individuals with a history of chronic illness.
A total of five non-profit organizations in New England and New York will receive funding to host programs that increase access to healthy, fresh food tailored to the specific needs of an individual’s health conditions. Program participants will also receive nutrition education designed to help them achieve and maintain their health and wellness goals.
“At Hannaford, we have long believed that healthy, fresh food is a critical ingredient to ensuring the vitality of our communities,” said Peter Forester, Hannaford Charitable Foundation board chair, who also serves as SVP of merchandising for the grocery retailer.
“Healthy meal programs break down the barriers that many individuals face in regularly accessing the wholesome, nutritious meals that their bodies and minds need. We look forward to seeing these programs grow and become an integral part of person-centered care in the years to come.”
The more than $1.5 million in donations resulting from Hannaford’s “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative will be distributed to community organizations in New England and New York as follows:
- $350,000 to MaineHealth
- The $350,000 donation to MaineHealth will support the introduction of a Food As Medicine program at Franklin Community Health Network, which includes Franklin Memorial Hospital, in Farmington. Facilitated by Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County, an FCHN department, the one-year pilot program serves Franklin County individuals with one or more chronic health conditions who have limited access to healthy food and have a MaineHealth primary care provider.
- $300,000 to The Food Pantries for the Capital District in New York
- The $300,000 donation to The Food Pantries for the Capital District in Albany, New York, will support the enrollment of individuals with chronic health issues into the non-profit organization’s healthy meal delivery program, which provides nutritious and balanced prepared meals to homebound individuals who cannot produce meals themselves.
- $300,000 to the New Hampshire Food Bank
- The $300,000 donation to the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester, New Hampshire, will support a new round of participants in the organization’s medically-tailored meals pilot program, which delivers specially-formulated meals to food insecure individuals living with chronic diseases.
- $250,000 to Community Servings in Massachusetts
- The $250,000 donation to Community Servings in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, will support the non-profit organization’s medically-tailored meal program to individuals and their family members experiencing critical and chronic illnesses. This funding will support the preparation and delivery of 200,000 meals to 850 clients, their dependent children and caregivers experiencing illness and food insecurity.
- $100,000 to Age Well in Vermont
- The $100,000 donation to Age Well in Colchester, VT will support the introduction of a new component to the non-profit organization’s Meals on Wheels program, which delivers nutritious and balanced prepared meals to homebound older adults throughout Vermont.
The new “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative further illustrates Hannaford’s longstanding commitment to supporting organizations and programs that keep its communities healthy and thriving. In 2021, Hannaford donated 25 million pounds of food to local hunger relief organizations. In 2019, Hannaford introduced its “Fuel Kids at School” program with a $1 million commitment to establish 90 food pantries at schools across the Northeast.
To learn more about the overall impact of Hannaford’s “Eat Well, Be Well – A Path to Better Health” initiative, view the video at vimeo.com/747996384.
