Fueling families through groundbreaking food support program
Between increasing costs of food, rent and transportation, families are stretched thin. And for many families at Holland Bloorview, food insecurity impacts access to care.
Today, Holland Bloorview is launching the first comprehensive hospital-based food support program in Canada. The program was made possible by a generous $3 million donation from lead donors David and Lynn Coriat and Gary and Donna Slaight through the Holland Bloorview Foundation’s Together We Dare campaign.
“Food insecurity and accessing food has become one of the more prominent themes that we’ve been hearing a lot about [from families],” says Jessica Reid, social worker and team lead of the Family Navigation Hub. Since we began collecting social needs data, Holland Bloorview found that nearly 20 per cent of families identified needs related to food insecurity.
As an essential part of healthcare, barriers to food access can impact a child’s long-term health outcomes.
“Dignified access to food means giving people a choice and agency to decide what they feed themselves and their children. All our clients and families deserve dignity and respect,” says Jessica.
This daring vision can start a cultural shift in health care in hospitals.
Through this groundbreaking new program, inpatient families will be able to access daily support in the form cafeteria food vouchers, snack bags and weekend grocery card support. Eligible outpatient caregivers may receive grocery card supports that consider family size.
“Meeting families’ basic needs is part of health care, not just the medical needs,” says Sue Osborne, an inpatient social worker. “Everyone thinks of food as something that we need physically, but food is so much more than that. Food is about connection with other people. Food is about providing care to other people.”
As social workers, Jessica and Sue see first-hand the impact of food insecurity on a child’s care. Without a food support program for caregivers, families are faced with constant decision-fatigue around where and how to access meals.
Paired with the stigma around food insecurity, it can be difficult for families to seek support. The food support program will help meet families’ basic needs, which ultimately supports parents and caregivers with being present during their child’s care.
Michelle, a Holland Bloorview parent, says the food support program will be a relief to parents and caregivers.
“We’re exhausted. We’re tired. We don’t want to leave our children,” Michelle says. “We want to be able to go to the therapies, attend appointments and talk to the doctors without thinking, ‘We have to run to the grocery store; we have to prepare food.’”
Designed to expand access to food supports, this groundbreaking program has the potential to reach more than 1,000 families every year.
This is just the beginning.
