The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation Donates $30,000 to Coastal Foodshed to Help Address Senior Health
Media Contact: Ben Jackey, Ben.Jackey@molinahealthcare.com, (502) 377-9484
New Bedford, Mass., Dec. 11, 2023 – The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with Senior Whole Health by Molina Healthcare, announced a $30,000 grant to Coastal Foodshed (“CFS”) to help increase access to fresh, locally-grown produce for local seniors.
Roughly half of the households in New Bedford use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits, but many seniors using SNAP are unable to access fresh produce. With Molina’s grant, CFS can support more low-income seniors to access fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat sourced by local farmers through a weekly food box distribution at local housing facilities.
“Molina realizes nutritious food is medicine and increasing access to fresh produce can help seniors achieve healthier outcomes,” said Bill Graham, plan president of Senior Whole Health by Molina Healthcare. “We’re proud to partner with Coastal Foodshed to help improve the health and wellness of our local communities.”
Through this grant, CFS will also expand its outreach efforts to SNAP beneficiaries and those eligible for SNAP and the Healthy Incentive Program (“HIP”). Most SNAP beneficiaries in Massachusetts are eligible for HIP, but are not aware of this program that provides additional funds to purchase healthy foods.
In addition, the Molina grant will fund cooking demonstrations for seniors receiving the food boxes. Chefs will demonstrate simple cooking techniques to encourage healthy eating, which ultimately leads to minimizing diet-related health conditions.
“Coastal Foodshed is committed to making produce available year-round to SNAP recipients, while bolstering our local food economy,” said Stephanie Perks, executive director and co-founder of Coastal Foodshed. “We appreciate the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation and Senior Whole Health’s support in both expanding access to fresh fruits and vegetables and equipping senior residents of New Bedford with the educational resources necessary to cook for themselves and maintain their overall well-being.”
About Senior Whole Health by Molina Healthcare
Senior Whole Health, LLC provides government-funded, quality health care to low-income individuals under the Senior Care Options (SCO) program serving individuals enrolled in MassHealth and dual eligibles enrolled in Medicare and MassHealth. Senior Whole Health is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Molina Healthcare, Inc., a FORTUNE 500 company, which provides managed healthcare services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. Molina Healthcare served approximately 5.2 million members as of September 30, 2023, located across 19 states. For more information about Senior Whole Health, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.
About The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation
The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc. The Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation was created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities.