Chester County Hospital opens food pantry to help patients struggling with food insecurity
Chester County Food Bank (has partnered with Chester County Hospital's OBGYN Clinic to better serve patients who are experiencing food insecurity.
Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) has partnered with Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital's OBGYN Clinic to better serve patients who are identified as experiencing food insecurity.
Chester County Food Bank has been a long-time partner with Chester County Hospital stemming back to the CCFB's origination in 2009.
“In 2017, we partnered with the hospital to offer Prenatal Grocery Boxes to assist pregnant mothers at risk of food insecurity,” said Catie Hargraves, director of Agency Relations and Distribution at the Chester County Food Bank. “The Prenatal Grocery Boxes are designed to provide expectant mothers with nutritious foods rich in vitamins and minerals needed during pregnancy,” continued Hargraves.
“Food insecurity can have severe health consequences, especially during pregnancy,” said Chester County Hospital Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Lynne Rudderow, CRNP. “The Prenatal Grocery Boxes were an initial step to better serve our patients and their families. As we increasingly screened patients for food insecurity it became clear that we needed to do more to provide direct service and food offerings to food insecure individuals.”
Service in action
Every day, the people of Penn Medicine work alongside our community partners to provide compassionate care and connect people to the resources and tools they need to overcome barriers to better health.
The food pantry at the OBGYN Clinic officially opened in October 2022. In its first month of service, the pantry served 50 households, totaling nearly 200 individuals—over 50 percent of those served were children.
CCFB recently awarded the pantry $1,000 in ACME Market grocery store gift cards as part of the ACME Markets Foundation and their Nourishing Neighbors Foundation which awarded CCFB $10,000 of grocery gift cards to be distributed through CCFB's network of partner agencies.
“We are fortunate to have Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, a leader in health care, in our community,” said Andrea Youndt, CEO of Chester County Food Bank. “Having the hospital screening patients for food insecurity and being able to directly serve them with emergency food assistance with an on-site food pantry not only best serves the client but also helps to alleviate demands placed on community food cupboards. Our partnership with Chester County Hospital is vital to our ability to serve our community and ensure access to real, healthy food.”
About the Chester County Food Bank
The Chester County Food Bank is the central hunger relief organization serving more than 150 partner agencies throughout Chester County, PA. The Food Bank distributes over 3.2 million pounds, with over 53 percent being fresh produce, meats, dairy, and eggs through its network of food cupboards, hot meal sites, shelters, and other social service organizations. Since its inception in 2009, the Chester County Food Bank mobilizes the community to ensure access to real, healthy food. For more information, visit the Food Bank online or visit its location at 650 Pennsylvania Drive in Exton, PA.