COLUMBUS – Mid-Ohio Foodbank, a member of Feeding America’s network of food banks, today marked World Diabetes Day by announcing an $800,000 grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to help communities and populations disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes. The grant, part of Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s Together on Diabetes: Communities Uniting to Meet America’s Diabetes Challenge®, is one piece of a $3.1 million commitment to Feeding America. The Challenge is a five-year, $100 million initiative to improve health outcomes for people living with type 2 diabetes in the United States.
“Type 2 diabetes is a considerable, community health concern in our 20-county footprint,” said Matthew D. Habash, president and CEO of Mid-Ohio Foodbank. “The Foodbank’s partner agency network serves three of the top four Ohio counties with the highest diabetes mortality rates. Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation’s support will allow Mid-Ohio Foodbank to implement important intervention services, including the distribution of healthy, fresh food to pantry clients struggling with food insecurity and Type 2 diabetes.”
Mid-Ohio Foodbank will partner with the Central Ohio Diabetes Association (CODA), Columbus Neighborhood Health Centers (CNHC), and the Division of Medical Dietetics and Health Sciences in the School of Allied Medical Professionals at The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) to address the effect of food insecurity on type 2 diabetes in the greater Columbus, Ohio area. Eventually, learnings will be used to help communities throughout Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s service territory.
“Food insecurity and diabetes are public health challenges often found in the same vulnerable communities. Individuals struggling to afford a healthy diet cannot manage their diabetes effectively.” said Michelle Berger Marshall, MS, RD, LDN, Director of Nutrition at Feeding America. “This project provides a unique opportunity for food banks and their partners to identify and support individuals who face a dual burden of type 2 diabetes and limited resources. With access to appropriate food, these individuals will be better able to follow the recommendations of their health care providers and manage their disease.”
According to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap study, 17.1% of Ohioans are food insecure.