dare to care prescriptive food pantry
Six-year-old Aiden and his two-year-old brother
came to Open Arms Children’s Health for checkups
in our primary care clinic. Like 60% of the children
our providers serve, they live with food insecurity —
a fancy way of saying the boys don’t have regular
access to food.
Our team boxed up food for the family and brought
it to the exam room so it was ready for them to take
when the doctor was finished. The boys were so
hungry, they opened boxes of raw pasta and began
eating handfuls before their appointment was over.
Many of the families served by the pediatricians and
nurse practitioners in our primary care clinic have
a hard time obtaining basic necessities. Whether
our families are refugees trying to resettle in this
country, kids in foster care, or families struggling to
make ends meet, our providers have found a way to
meet as many of their needs as possible.
In August 2018, we partnered with Dare to Care and
opened a Prescriptive Food Pantry to ensure kids
like Aiden and his brother go home with the food
they need. In fiscal year 2019, we provided food to
208 families with a total of 829 children.
Dare to Care delivers food monthly, supplying
whatever quantity and selection we request to
ensure that our families will leave our campus with
food to fill their pantries.
“We give them enough food to feed everyone in
their family,” explained Denise Cissell, Senior Vice
President of Open Arms. “Families can also return
for more food outside of appointment times. They
aren’t limited, nor do we turn them away if they are
in need. If they eat everything we provide and they
need more, we are here to provide.”
Last year, Open Arms provided 17,692 pounds of
food to children and families who needed it right
away.
In addition to food, our providers are able to
give out other essentials — all items given upon
indication that a family needs resources. Donations
made to Home of the Innocents are distributed to
residents, and also to all clients of the organization.
Our Outreach Team supplies other items to stock
the shelves of the pantry and ensure that families
not only go home with food, but with essentials like
diapers, wipes, toiletries, shoes, pajamas, coats,
books, and toys.
We want to make sure Aiden doesn’t have to be
outside in a t-shirt and no coat during cold months.
We want his brother to have shoes that aren’t too
small. We want them both to have access to books
and toys so they can learn and grow.
At Open Arms, we are able to makes an impact
beyond the quality medical care we provide. We are
able to ensure families receive what they need —
and leave with it in their hands.