As the President of the Board of Directors, I am proud to share the community impact our volunteers, donors and partners made possible this past year. A link to our 2022 Annual Report highlighting stories, program numbers and client outcomes is located at the end of my message.
Your investment in our mission profoundly and directly helps sick neighbors in our community. It inspires us, it makes our work possible, and it improves the health and quality of life of those we serve.
As a long-time volunteer, donor and board member, it is rewarding to know that as our community continues to recover from the aftereffects of the pandemic, Food & Friends is playing a significant and measurable role in confronting health inequities in our region and improving the lives and health of individuals with life-challenging illnesses.
On our 2022 client survey, 84% of clients reported improved health. In addition to our own survey, published research has increasingly tied medically tailored meals to improved health and lower cost of health care for those with multiple serious and chronic health conditions.
With the rising costs of healthcare, our meal and nutrition programs remain 100% free of charge, including for dependents and caregivers. This is only possible because of your incredible generosity. More than two-thirds of our clients identify as people of color, nearly one-quarter live in neighborhoods that have limited access to grocery stores, and 61% of the households we serve live on less than $1,500 a month.
Amid our highest-ever demand for medically tailored meals and despite high food costs and major supply chain challenges, your support elevated our work and service to our community. You—as a member of our incredible community of volunteers and donors—helped us increase our meal production and nutrition support to serve more individuals and families dealing with a life-challenging illness. Together, we met our clients’ needs and attained higher metrics of satisfaction, including stronger health outcomes than prior years.
For our clients living with cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and so many other illnesses, life is overwhelming. They struggle to manage doctor appointments, illness symptoms and treatment side effects, jobs, bills and life in general. The impact of your generosity alleviates the burden of meal planning and getting to the grocery store, while most importantly ensuring they have the nutrients they need to manage their illness.
It is an honor to serve you and our clients as Board President. I am proud that we are continuing to build on our legacy of service to the community and again proving our readiness to meet the moment. We will continue to count on your support. Together, we will create a healthier and more compassionate community for neighbors who live with serious illnesses.
You may find our annual report here https://foodandfriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FF.ImpactReport2022.pdf
If you have any questions or feedback to share with me, please email me at JBaldwin@foodandfriends.org.
With gratitude,
Jill A. Baldwin
Board President, Food & Friends