Takeda awards grant to Northern Illinois Food Bank program
Takeda recently announced the selection of eight new U.S. nonprofit organizations, including Northern Illinois Food Bank, as grant recipients. This is part of its $14.6 million commitment to its FY2023 U.S. Corporate Social Responsibility program.
Northern Illinois Food Bank is receiving a multi-year commitment from Takeda to support its Build Healthy Communities Program.
The program addresses food insecurity among individuals who are experiencing or at risk for chronic health conditions by providing access to nutritious groceries that empower people to meet their dietary needs and support their health and wellness.
Patients are screened for food insecurity at their medical providers’ offices with the Hunger Vital Sign Screening Tool. Those who qualify receive access to healthy food distributions, including Rx Mobiles, Wellness Food Connections, My Pantry Express online and Rx Markets.
“Northern Illinois Food Bank plays a vital role as an advocate and community partner in the promotion of our neighbors’ health,” said Kathleen Wendt, manager of Build Healthy Communities and Senior Programs at Northern Illinois Food Bank.
“While our network of member food pantries, soup kitchens and group homes account for over 80% of the food we distribute, our Build Healthy Communities Program, through our Screen and Intervene Initiative, provides an additional point of access to nutritious food for neighbors who are managing a chronic disease while experiencing food insecurity.”
“We are grateful for Takeda’s generous grant and ongoing partnership,” said Gina Gramarosso, senior director of philanthropy for Northern Illinois Food Bank. “For patients who are unable to afford healthy food due to a lack of resources, this program helps them to meet their dietary needs and to direct their limited budgets toward other necessities.”
To address the intersection of health and nutrition, in collaboration with health care partners and community organizations in seven counties, the Food Bank's Build Healthy Communities Program supports patients screened as food-insecure at hospital locations, distributing nutritious food through four interventions — Rx Mobiles, My Pantry Express, Wellness Food Connections and Rx Markets — to help participants maintain a healthy diet for better management of chronic disease.
In addition to food assistance, the Food Bank seeks to meet communities where they are and connect people with resources and services that address the needs of the whole person.
“We strongly encourage our health care partners collaborate with community organizations to offer additional support services and informational resources for patients at distributions,” Wendt said.
Examples include nurses performing blood pressure screenings, the local housing authority providing information about rent and mortgage assistance, or the local public health department hosting vaccination clinics.
The Food Bank also connects partners with their SNAP Outreach Team to provide federal SNAP benefits information and application assistance. Providing these services on-site allows for convenient access to community resources in familiar settings and meets multiple needs at a single point-of-service.
Northern Illinois Food Bank’s current FY24 Build Healthy Communities Healthcare Partners include:
• DeKalb County: Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, My Pantry Express
• DuPage County: AdventHealth Medical Center Hinsdale, Rx Market
• Kankakee County: Ascension Health Saint Mary’s Hospital, Rx Mobile; Riverside Healthcare, Wellness Food Connection; Community Health Partnership — Kankakee, Rx Mobile
• Kane County: Community Health Partnership — Aurora, Rx Mobile
• Lake County: Advocate Condell Medical Center, Rx Mobile and Rx Market; Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, Rx Market; and Erie Family Health, Rx Mobile
• McHenry County: McHenry County Department of Health, Rx Market and Rx Mobile; Community Health Partnership — Harvard, Rx Mobile; and Northwestern Medicine, Rx Mobile
• Will County: Ascension Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet, My Pantry Express; Silver Cross Hospital, My Pantry Express and Rx Mobile; and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Rx Mobile
For more information about Rx Mobiles and Northern Illinois Food Bank programs, visit SolveHungerToday.org.