Sentara, Fredericksburg Food Bank partner for ‘We Care’ event

Tuesday, volunteers filled 603 boxes in just three hours as part of Sentara Healthcare’s newly launched “We Care” initiative. The “We Care” model is to meet increased food insecurity in communities throughout Virginia.

These boxes have a five-day food supply for families. In addition to providing healthy, nourishing meals the boxes can be easily assembled to provide safe, low-touch distribution at existing locations managed by the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. In total, the “We Care” initiative will support the distribution of roughly 100,000 boxes.

“Sentara is committed to the communities we serve and is continually improving health every day,” explains Kathie Johnson, President, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. “By addressing these food insecurities, we’re looking at the bigger picture. It’s an honor to be involved in this ‘We Care” event because it’s really making a difference for our community.”

It was nearly three weeks ago, Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health, in partnership with Truist, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Federation of Virginia Food Banks, launched the new statewide initiative. The “We Care” COVID-19 Virginia Emergency Food Support Plan is currently underway at food banks across the Commonwealth and will provide free, accessible meals and nourishment to families during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

This initiative is a collaborative partnership. The Commonwealth’s commitment of $1.4 million from the CARES Act funds and the start-up contributions of $500,000 each from Sentara Healthcare and Truist provided the first step toward establishing the program. Additional public and private contributions have brought the total to $2.6 million.

In light of COVID, Virginia’s food banks have responded to an unprecedented increase in demand. It’s estimated