CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK INC

Food for brighter futures:food alone won't solve hunger. To address the root causes of food insecurity and inequity in the region, the food bank is piloting innovative approaches for pairing food with other critical services, such as health care and education. By expanding beyond cafb's traditional food provider network, the food bank can meet people where they are and provide them with food to help address their most pressing concerns. The food bank also operates innovative food access programs to create more ways in which neighbors with transportation or other constraints can get the food they need.- food is medicine (also known as food plus health): these initiatives integrate food into health care settings to promote disease prevention and management, resulting in healthier outcomes at every stage of life. Cafb partners with medical institutions across the region to provide patients facing food insecurity with medically tailored groceries either during their clinic visits or via home delivery. - food for upward mobility (also known as food plus education and food plus workforce): through its programs focused on creating greater economic opportunity for those it serves, cafb bundles food and other support services for college students to help improve academic outcomes and long-term financial stability. Cafb partners with institutions of higher education throughout the region to provide food insecure students with nutrition via multiple models, including home delivery, on-campus pantries, and free meal-swipe programs.- food access initiatives: this area of cafb's work develops and implements commercial-like food distribution models to extend the cafb's reach to those experiencing food insecurity. For example, clients in areas with very few grocery stores also are seeking options for purchasing nutritious food. To respond to this need, cafb operates curbside groceries. These mobile grocery trucks, operating in dc's ward 8 and maryland's prince george's county, offer a new kind of neighborhood retail option, where people can buy produce, protein, and other grocery staples at affordable prices.