Florida Blue increases local investments in food security programs to more than $16 million


Florida Blue Foundation awards additional $3.73 million in grants to innovative community programs making a meaningful impact in fight against hunger and food insecurity

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — An estimated 2.2 million Floridians lack access to healthy food, including just over 660,000 children, according to Feeding America. Today, the Florida Blue Foundation announced another major investment to address food insecurity in the state with $3.73 million in grants awarded to 10 community-based programs.

The latest funding brings the total investment in food security programs from Florida Blue and its Foundation to more than $16 million over the last four years.

“Healthy communities need healthy food. When people don’t have enough food or must choose inexpensive foods with little nutritional value, it can seriously impact their health and well-being. Each year, more than $4.2 billion in health care costs are associated with food insecurity in our state,” said Pat Geraghty, Florida Blue and GuideWell president and CEO.

“The rising cost of food has only made this issue worse for our state. Florida Blue is focused on ensuring every person in Florida has reliable and affordable access to nutritious food and the knowledge of how to make it an enjoyable part of their daily lives,” said Geraghty 

The 10 nonprofit organizations receiving the latest $3.73 million in funding from the Florida Blue Foundation will use the grants for community-based food security initiatives that not only provide access to nutritional food but address obstacles to food security in their communities.

“Food insecurity is a highly complex issue. Each community’s relationship and access to food is unique. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to this issue,” said Susan Towler, executive director of the Florida Blue Foundation. “These Florida Blue Foundation grants will fund programs that directly improve access to and quality of food security for people at the neighborhood level, particularly in communities with underserved, racial and ethnic minorities, and low-income populations. We selected these 10 organizations because we believe they can make a meaningful and lasting impact in…

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