Food insecurity is a serious issue within our community. Thankfully, the generosity of the people and organizations who donate to the Good Shepherd Food Bank helps us to distribute thousands of pounds of food each year to members of our community who are in need – including many of our patients.
Through the Food As Medicine program, a collaboration between St. Joe’s and Good Shepherd, we’ve been able to set up a food cart in our hospital lobby stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables that are free for the taking. We also worked together to develop a screening program to identify which of our patients may be food insecure and began to help them with counseling, education, and food distribution within our primary care offices and upon discharge of surgical patients.
Together, we can do amazing things for our community. We are grateful for the support of our community partners including the Good Shepherd Food Bank, the Bangor Department of Public Health, the members of the Community Health Leadership Board, and so many more.
