US Foods Holding Corp., a foodservice distributor based in Rosemont, Illinois, has begun a national partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network with a $250,000 monetary contribution.
The collaboration is part of the company’s “Helping Communities Make It” program, which seeks to empower communities in need through hunger-relief, culinary education and disaster relief. This is the company’s first national hunger relief partnership supporting military families, a group disproportionately impacted by food insecurity.
US Foods selected MFAN based on the nonprofit’s innovative program, the MFANetwork, which connects military families to critical resources through collaborative, impact-driven and authentic community engagements.
“At US Foods, we are uniquely positioned to harness the power of food to empower communities in need with nourishment and opportunity,” said CEO Dave Flitman.
“As part of a military family, I am particularly proud to expand our efforts to support the military community, which makes immeasurable sacrifices for our freedom. We are honored to partner with an innovative and deeply committed organization like MFAN, and I look forward to our collaboration.”
[RELATED: US Foods’ Hunger Relief Donations Top $12M In 2023]
According to MFAN’s 2023 Military Family Support Programming Survey, more than a quarter of active-duty military families (27.7 percent) have experienced food insecurity and more than half (54.8 percent) of respondents reported moving within the past two years due to military orders.
In support of MFAN’s commitment to providing convenient access points to alleviate military food insecurity, the partnership will support the following programmatic efforts:
- Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Pantry Restock Box
- Military families move, on average, every two-and-a-half years, and each move comes with a tangible cost, including restocking the pantry. MFAN will distribute 500 PCS Pantry Restock Boxes per month designed to get families started in their new homes with essential items typically discarded with each move.
- This is a low-barrier and stigma-free access point that connects families to the support they need at a time when they are vulnerable. Each box includes a QR code that allows military families to learn about their local communities and enables the Military Family Advisory Network to learn about their needs.
- Fresh Funds Grocery Support
- If a family identifies as food insecure through the USDA Six-Item Short Form Food Security Scale screening from the Pantry Restock Box survey, the Military Family Advisory Network will support these families with Instacart Health Fresh Funds stipends.
- Families can use the Fresh Funds stipends to purchase nutritious food and other essentials from the local retailer of their choice, including H-E-B and Walmart. The Fresh Funds can also be used to cover delivery costs so busy military families spend more time settling into their new communities and less time traveling to the store.
“MFAN’s latest survey shows that those who moved within the last two years (41.1 percent) and active-duty families (21.5 percent) are among those most commonly experiencing food insecurity,” said Shannon Razsadin, CEO for the Military Family Advisory Network.
“Thanks to generous partners like US Foods, we are providing dignified support through innovative, scalable and measurable solutions. These collaborative initiatives show military families that they are not alone and that their service and sacrifice are seen and appreciated – and that truly matters.”
Additionally, US Foods recently served as a premier “Healthy Bodies” sponsor of Military Family Advisory Network’s Solutions Summit on June 27, where policymakers, military advocates and corporate partners developed actionable solutions for the military and veteran community.
