Choptank Community Health receives No Kid Hungry grant for produce prescriptions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

         Contact: Lucie Hughes, Director of Communication, Choptank Community Health System,  410-479-2650, lhughes@choptankhealth.org

(DENTON, MD – March 10, 2022)

Choptank Community Health receives No Kid Hungry grant for produce prescriptions

Choptank Community Health System has recently been awarded a $25K grant through the School-Based Health Center (SBHC) Food Access Learning Network and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. The funding will be used to provide what Choptank Health is calling “produce prescriptions" to students along with health education on topics including the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity.

Through the grant program, No Kid Hungry will support the work of a SBHC learning network with the primary purpose of addressing childhood hunger and improving dietary health outcomes by integrating food access and preventative care.

Beginning this spring and continuing over the summer, Choptank Health will be teaming up with local produce stands, farmer’s markets, and more to help ensure no child goes hungry along the Mid-Shore.

“This is a great example of how collaboration with other organizations can help our community,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We’re excited to bring locally sourced produce to more Mid-Shore families.”

Rich says the Avalon Foundation Farmer’s Market in Talbot County and Caroline County Public Schools Food Service are already on board with partnering with Choptank on this effort.

 “The Avalon Foundation and Choptank Community Health continue to partner in meaningful & creative ways,” said Avalon Foundation CEO, Al Bond. “We’ve transitioned from our COVID-19 outreach efforts and are now leveraging our farmers market program to help make sure no child goes hungry. I can’t think of more meaningful work.”

“Our food insecure children need this additional support now more than ever,” said Caroline County Public School’s Food Service Supervisor Beth Brewster. “Choptank Health’s initiative and help with providing fresh produce will help bring more healthy food choices to those in need.”

Choptank Health Director of Community Based Programs Chrissy Bartz PA-C, MMS says her School-Based Health Center team is currently planning the logistics of the program, with details to be announced in April.

“The health and nutrition education provided by our providers in the SBHCs, coupled with the distribution of the produce prescriptions, will allow an opportunity for families to select and prepare local produce together, and continue our conversations around healthy diet with everyone in the home”, said Bartz. “This outreach with farmer’s markets and produce stands will be a great way to meet the needs of children facing food insecurities.”

Choptank Health operates 32 School-Based Health Centers in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, and Talbot County Public Schools, offering medical and/or dental services for enrolled K-12 students. The school-based health centers are open during the school day and provide in-person, virtual, and curbside well and urgent care to enrolled students and school staff, with other services including health education, risk assessment, physical exams, dietary support, asthma management, sick/acute care, and more.

Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all. Choptank Community Health’s medical services include primary health care, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with new medical patients now being accepted. More information is at www.choptankhealth.org.  

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About No Kid Hungry
No child should go hungry in America. But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, 1 in 6 kids could face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is working to end childhood hunger by helping launch and improve programs that give all kids the healthy food they need to thrive. This is a problem we know how to solve. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of Share Our Strength, an organization committed to ending hunger and poverty.

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Choptank Community Health System has recently been awarded a $25K grant to provide fresh produce to local students. The initiative is set to begin this spring and also provides students with health education on topics including the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity. More is at www.choptankhealth.org.