Harvesters–The Community Food Network, Humana Inc., Kansas City Kansas Community College, Providence Medical Center and Providence YMCA/Ball Family Center are teaming up to offer free nutritious food to the community.
The collaborative effort launched June 28 and takes place at 12 p.m. on the fourth Monday each month at Kansas City Kansas Community College, 6565 State Ave. Proof of residency or income is not required to receive food. The first distribution served over 125 families in the area.
“We are proud to partner with these other community organizations in providing free nutritious food to individuals and families in our area,” said Karen Orr, RN, MSN, MBA, Providence Medical Center Chief Executive Officer. “Addressing food insecurity and hunger in our community will have lifelong impacts to overall health and well-being.”
The initiative helps to fight food insecurity – an issue that all of these partners are committed to addressing. A lack of access to nutritionally adequate foods contributes to poor health, lower productivity and higher medical costs. The Kansas City metro area has seen an increase in food insecurity since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
"The Y is working to eliminate hunger in our community through mobile food distribution sites and other food programs throughout the metro area. The program addresses a growing need for those unsure where their next meal will come from,” said Matt Eaves, Executive Director of Providence YMCA/Ball Family Center.
“Our collaboration with these partners helps bring mobile food distribution to areas with unmet needs,” said Jeremy Gaskill, Humana’s regional president for Medicare in Kansas. “This joint community effort addresses the demand for emergency and supplemental food to fight hunger in the Kansas City metro area.”
Kansas City is one of 16 Humana Bold Goal communities focusing on social determinants of health and the health-related social needs of Humana members and communities. Humana and its many partners pay special attention to food security and social connection, with the intent of improving holistic health and health-related quality of life. Humana in May unveiled its 2021 Bold Goal Progress Report, which details the company’s progress with its ambitious population health strategy launched in 2015 to improve the health of the communities it serves.
About Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Harvesters is this area’s only food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household products to more than 760 not-for-profit agencies including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, children’s homes and others. Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50 states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.
About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large.
To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care, behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes health care easier to navigate and more effective.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the Investor Relations page of the company’s web site at www.humana.com, including copies of:
- Annual reports to stockholders
- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
- Most recent investor conference presentations
- Quarterly earnings news releases and conference calls
- Calendar of events
- Corporate Governance information
About Kansas City Kansas Community College
Kansas City Kansas Community College, the third largest community college in Kansas by enrollment, is a centrally located public two-year institution in northeast Kansas. KCKCC is committed to ensuring that all students have a positive and successful post-secondary experience, and its multiple locations provide endless learning opportunities.
About Providence Medical Center
Committed to excellence and award-winning patient care, Providence Medical Center, located near I-435 and Parallel Pkwy. Kansas City, Kan., offers an extensive array of diagnostic and medical care. Key services include nationally recognized cardiovascular care, critical care, surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonary services, spine and joint centers, 24/7 emergency services, wound care center and an accredited sleep disorders center. The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and is a member of Prime Healthcare.
About YMCA of Greater Kansas City
Driven by its founding mission, the YMCA of Greater Kansas City has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community since 1860. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across communities. The Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change.