Foundation invests over $100k in Mid-South Food Bank’s ‘Food as Medicine’ program

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Mid-South Food Bank is getting a huge monetary boost in its work to fight food insecurity.

The WellPoint Foundation is investing more than $100,000 to expand the Mid-South's "Food as Medicine" program.

"Food is medicine," said President and CEO of WellPoint Tennessee Natalie Cooper. "It cures people before a person can get to a prescription."

WellPoint Tennessee announced its partnership with the Mid-South Food Bank by investing more than $112,000 in the organization's "Food As Medicine" program.

"When it comes to food insecurity, that is one thing that is on a spectrum where nutrition is the critical component and that may not always be available," Cooper said.

The partnership helps to ensure nutritious and healthy food in what's called an "RX" box gets to people who are both food insecure and face health issues.

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"Individuals that have also been identified as having high blood pressure, risk of diabetes – they're going to clinics and hospitals around our area," said Mid-South Food Bank Director of Development and Communications John Thatcher.

The very sizeable donation will help ensure the Mid-South Food Bank continues its RX box program, which provides specially tailored foods to patients with chronic illnesses.

RX boxes contain nutritional foods to help control hypertension and lower high blood pressure, healthy grains, beans, rice and shelf-stable items that are low in fat and sugar.

"Included in that box is information on how to get plugged into – either through staff assistance or some of our mobile distributions that contain things like fresh produce," Thatcher said. "Those are on our nutrition on wheels trucks and we do these at clinics and all around town."

The Mid-South Food Bank serves 31 counties – 12 in Tennessee, 18 in Mississippi and one in Arkansas.