New grants bring total fleet of HPHC-funded mobile markets to eight in New England, helping to increase access to healthy food for low-income families
WELLESLEY, MA -- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation today announced $180,000 in funding for three new mobile farmers’ markets in 2019 through its Healthy Food Fund: Coastal Foodshed in New Bedford, MA, Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) in Manchester, NH, and the FEED Center in Bridgeport, CT, a program of the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport. Each will receive $60,000, with the option to renew for two additional years. They will join the Foundation’s current fleet of five mobile markets in Worcester, MA, Lowell, MA, Hartford, CT, the Seacoast of New Hampshire, and the Lewiston/Auburn area of Maine.
“Low-income communities have largely been left behind when it comes to the healthy food movement, and we know that staying healthy often starts with the food we eat,” said Karen Voci, president of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. “By funding these mini farmers’ markets on wheels, we can bring fresh, local and affordable produce directly to local residents where they live and work, in neighborhoods that need it most.”
ORIS and the FEED Center will launch new mobile markets to complement their existing programs, while Coastal Foodshed will use the funding to transition its pilot mobile farmers’ market to a full-scale program. All three are expected to launch their mobile markets this year.
Read more about Harvard Pilgrim Foundation’s existing mobile farmers’ markets.
About the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation
Created in 1980, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation supports Harvard Pilgrim's mission to improve the quality and value of health care for the people and communities we serve. The Harvard Pilgrim Foundation provides the tools, training and leadership to help build healthy communities throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. In 2018, the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation awarded more than $1.25 million in grants to 855 nonprofit organizations in the region. Since its inception in 1980, the Foundation has awarded $150 million in funds and resources throughout the four states.
About Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Harvard Pilgrim and its family of companies provide health benefit plans, programs and services to more than 3 million customers in New England and beyond. A leading not-for-profit health services company, we guide our members – and the communities we serve – to better health. Founded by doctors nearly 50 years ago, we’re building on our legacy. In partnership with our expansive network of doctors and hospitals, we’re improving health outcomes and lowering costs through clinical quality and innovative care management. Our commitment to the communities we serve is driven by the passion of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation. Through its work, low- and moderate-income families are gaining greater access to fresh, affordable food — a cornerstone to better health and well-being.
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Contact:
Kimberly Winn
Kimberly_Winn@harvardpilgrim.org
603-315-4426
Websites: www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation