food insecurity Archive — Page 1 of 1

Volunteers load blue grocery bags into a gray SUV at a food bank, with a line of cars waiting beside a brick building.
July 15, 2026

Vanderbilt Health, neighbors bolster food security from ground up 

Vanderbilt Health’s philosophy is that the institution needs a way to support patients when they reveal that food is a struggle. Yet, it’s a hospital system not a food bank, so it looks to partners.

By Holly Fletcher
Infographic summarizing an impact report: 235 meals distributed to families across five states; 48% of English-speaking and 49% of Spanish-speaking families reported food was needed or helped them care for a daughter; family satisfaction and program acceptability ratings were 4.4/5; 98% found meals helpful; 87% reported increased satisfaction with hospital admission; 95% supported continuing the program; one in two families tried a new food and 66% found a new food resource. It lists transportation, stable housing, childcare, and food availability as common barriers to community resources.
March 20, 2026

Champ’s Cupboard expands reach, services after strong first year at Monroe Carell. Read the Impact Report.

In the program’s first year, the team distributed a frozen meal or box of nonperishable food items to 235 families in the hospital, with 98% of recipients saying the food was helpful.

By Christina Echegaray
Take-Out Ticket from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt showing two food options: a heart-healthy non-perishable food box with assorted groceries and a family-size frozen meal, illustrated with a chicken Parmesan meal. A green box says “PLACE PATIENT STICKER HERE.”
April 8, 2025

New initiative, Champ’s Cupboard, aids families with nutrition access issues

The food resource program is designed to serve as a bridge for families with nutrition access issues.

By Jessica Pasley
(iStock image)
April 3, 2024

Excess salt linked to heart disease deaths in low-income group: study

Excessive consumption of dietary sodium likely was responsible for up to 30% of cardiovascular disease-related deaths among mostly low-income participants in a large cohort study conducted by Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

By Bill Snyder
Top-down arrangement of foods associated with natural antioxidants, including blueberries, walnuts, pomegranate seeds, apples, bananas, almonds, olive oil, ginger, tomatoes, oranges, broccoli, garlic, dark chocolate, and goji berries.
March 19, 2024

Over 40% of Tennessee Families With Children Say They Are Food Insecure; 70% Have Changed Spending on Food

This year’s Vanderbilt Child Health Poll shows that over 40% of Tennessee families report they are food insecure ― a similar proportion from last year. Most families (71%) say they have continued to change food spending habits due to high prices.

By Jake Lowary
Infographic titled “Food Insecurity” reporting that over 40% of Tennessee families have low or very low food security, over 70% have changed spending habits due to rising food prices, and nearly 30% of those parents skip meals. A child appears beside an image of vegetables, with Vanderbilt Center for Child Health Policy branding.
March 23, 2023

Poll shows food insecurity on rise in Tennessee

A newly released Vanderbilt poll found that an increasing number of Tennessee parents are reporting their families are food insecure.

By Jake Lowary