Northern Virginia Food Rescue receives $65,000 from Sentara Health to support healthy eating through food rescue

Funding supports collaborative partnership with Sentara Health

MANASSAS, VA, UNITED STATES, December 13, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Northern Virginia Food Rescue, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our community, is pleased to announce a generous contribution of $65,000 from Sentara Health to assist with food rescue. The $65,000 donation from Sentara will be utilized by Northern Virginia Food Rescue to support bringing healthy options to the table for families in need. Northern Virginia Food Rescue is committed to helping break the link between poverty and poor health. Rather than being sent to a landfill, rescued food will be used to create nutritious meals for some of the region’s nearly 225,000 food insecure residents.

Food waste is one of the leading causes of emissions that negatively impact our environment, to such an extent that if food waste were a country, it would be the third leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2019, an estimated 35.2 million Americans, including 10.7 million children, lived in households that were food insecure, meaning they had difficulty providing enough food for all their members due to a lack of resources. At the same time, an estimated 133 billion pounds of food was wasted at the retail and consumer levels in the U.S., accounting for 30-40% of the food supply. This food waste not only represents a loss of economic value and a burden on the environment, but also a missed opportunity to feed the hungry and improve their health and well-being.

This contribution from Sentara reinforces their shared commitment to creating healthier communities through partnerships with organizations and individuals. “We’re incredibly thankful for the connection that we have with Sentara. Food is medicine, and we want to ensure that we’re providing quality food to our neighbors in Prince William County.” said Dr. Megan Franco, Executive Director.

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About Northern Virginia Food Rescue: NOVA-FR is an innovative network of donors, volunteer, and distribution partners improving food resiliency and accessibility for our Northern Virginia community. NOVA-FR leverages (1) technology to support a network of Food Rescue Programs throughout Prince William County ensuring food equity, (2) local agriculture to expand healthy food options, (3) educational opportunities to increase community health, and (4) advocacy to strengthen our food system.

About Sentara Health • www.sentara.com/news

Sentara, an integrated, not-for-profit health care delivery system, celebrates 135 years in pursuit of its mission—”we improve health every day.” Sentara is one of the largest health systems in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and among the top 20 largest not-for-profit integrated health systems in the country, with 30,000 employees, 12 hospitals in Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina, and the Sentara Health Plans division which serves more than 1.2 million members in Virginia and Florida. Sentara is recognized nationally for clinical quality and safety and is strategically focused on innovation and creating an extraordinary health care experience for our patients and members. Sentara was named to IBM Watson Health’s “Top 15 Health Systems” (2021, 2018) and was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for New Grads” (2022), “Best Employer for Veterans” (2022), and “Best Employer for Women” (2020).

Megan Franco
Northern Virginia Food Rescue
+1 703-822-5205
email us here