Kathy Anderson Martin, executive director of Midwest Food Bank PA, along with other officials and Giving Wellness program organizers, in the state Capitol.
A local nonprofit will offer the community a chance to play an active role in addressing food insecurity.
Midwest Food Bank PA in Middletown launched its Giving Wellness initiative on Wednesday, which allows companies and community groups to access wellness resources in exchange for support for the food bank.
“At Midwest Food Bank we wanted to create a new path to wellness for all, not just the people we are helping that are struggling with food insufficiency,” said Kathy Anderson-Martin, executive director of Midwest Food Bank, at a press conference in the state Capitol on Wednesday. “We have built a health and wellness program to help people build healthier habits at home and in the workplace.”
For each participant, a donation will go toward the food bank to provide weekend food bags for 11 children.
Through the program, groups can pay for eight weeks of access to a personalized app with nutritional guides, workout videos and wellness support. Resources are provided by Harrisburg-area-based Precision Training Concepts and health coach Amber Peterson. The program functions as a competition, where participants earn points for completing health challenges.
According to Anderson-Martin, Midwest Food Bank is one of the first food banks to offer a wellness challenge.
As part of a pilot group of participants, local organizations CommunityAid and Strategic Consulting Partners have been challenging each other for the past several weeks.
“We thought this was a great opportunity in response to the work we are doing to really walk the talk,” said Monica Gould, founder and president of Strategic Consulting Partners. “Our team has really had so much fun.”
Midwest Food Bank is slated to distribute $24 million in food this year to 200 nonprofits, providing food for 332,000 people who are struggling with food insecurity.
For more information or to sign up for the Giving Wellness program, visit their website.
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