This September, during Hunger Action Month, Florida Blue Foundation, the philanthropic affiliate of Florida Blue and part of the GuideWell portfolio of companies, is awarding $3.1 million in grants to eight community-based food initiatives across Florida. These grants directly address food insecurity-a critical driver of health-while strengthening communities' access to nutritious meals and reducing disease burden.

Quick facts:

• $3.1 million awarded by the Florida Blue Foundation to eight community-based food initiatives across Florida during Hunger Action Month.
• Grantees operate in multiple counties, including Bay, Broward, Clay, Flagler, Leon, Orange, Palm Beach, and Pinellas.
• Programs address food insecurity and its connection to chronic disease management.
• Beneficiaries include farmworkers, students, homeless populations, uninsured residents, and rural communities.

Across the nation, nearly 48 million people lack consistent access to nutritious food, a crisis that goes far beyond hunger. For individuals managing diabetes, hypertension or heart disease, it can trigger avoidable complications, increased hospitalizations and mounting healthcare costs. Approximately 3.6 million Floridians face food insecurity, including more than 900,000 children1. Florida Blue Foundation's grant program enables nonprofits throughout the state to expand food access programs, strengthen emergency food networks, and support vulnerable populations facing food hardship.

"Hunger and chronic disease are deeply connected, and we know when we invest in food access, we invest in health," said Susan Towler, vice president, corporate social responsibility and Florida Blue Foundation. "We're partnering with organizations across Florida to break the cycle, ensuring that access to healthy food becomes a foundation for better health outcomes."

The eight Florida nonprofit organizations receiving grants are:

• Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County, Inc. - The Food and Nutrition Program serves farmworkers and low-income families in rural communities who face limited transportation and grocery access, reducing food insecurity through weekly food distribution and nutrition education.
• Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University Foundation, Inc. (FAMU) - The Lola Hampton-Frank Pinder Center for Agroecology will establish the Food as Pharmacy Resource Hub and Prescription Program. Operating from their campus mini farm, the Hub will provide no- and low-cost fresh produce, grower training, educational support, and a collaborative nutrition education series.
• Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, Inc. - The Food Access Network strengthens food security for uninsured Floridians through its network of 109 member clinics serving more than 220,000 patients annually by building and expanding their food access programs.
• Foundation for Orange County Public Schools, Inc. - The Food Pantry Capacity and Access Expansion Initiative enhances school-based pantry infrastructure in low-income Orange County communities, enabling students and families to access more healthy food options.
• Homeless Emergency Project/Homeless Empowerment Program (HEP) - The Food as Medicine: HEP Nutrition & Wellness Initiative will serve homeless and low-income adults and families in Pinellas County through nutrition counseling, hands-on cooking instruction through the HEP Dental and Wellness Clinic's Teaching Kitchen, Urban Empowerment Garden, Mobile Market food distribution, and nutritious meal services.
• The Poverello Center, Inc. - The 33311 Eats Well program delivers medically-tailored food and nutrition services to individuals living with chronic and critical illnesses in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
• United Way of Northwest Florida - Rooted in Holmes: A Food Security Initiative will increase food security for rural residents in Holmes County by developing a workforce-driven farm that produces and distributes food. The program will combine farm-to-table distribution, education, and community-based agriculture with AI-supported tools that improve access, efficiency, and personalization of services.
• Waste Not Want Not, Inc. - Through its food rescue program, Waste Not Want Not recovers perfectly good excess food from multiple sources and distributes it to those in need through a network of grassroots organizations and partners across Northeast Florida.

In addition to philanthropic giving, Florida Blue team members volunteer in the communities where they live with local food pantries, serving meals, and participating in food distribution events.

To learn more about Florida Blue Foundation's impact across the state, read GuideWell's latest Impact Report.

About Florida Blue Foundation

Florida Blue Foundation enables healthy communities by making grants, building coalitions, and embracing solutions that create a meaningful impact in communities across the state. An average of 10 million Floridians receive services each year as a result of its community investments. Founded in 2001, Florida Blue Foundation is committed to improving health by impacting food security, advancing mental well-being, growing healthy communities, and addressing health disparities. Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information, please visit FloridaBlue.com/Foundation.

About Florida Blue

Driven by its mission of helping people and communities achieve better health, Florida Blue is the leading health insurer in Florida, and part of GuideWell, a not-for-profit health solutions company. Florida Blue offers a range of health plans and personalized care programs for individuals, families, businesses of all sizes, and Medicare beneficiaries. For over 80 years, the organization has been member centric and committed to making health care as accessible and affordable as possible. Serving more than six million members across all 67 Florida counties, Florida Blue has more than 7,000 employees and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., is owned by its policyholders, and is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

For additional information visit FloridaBlue.com. For the latest news and content, visit the Florida Blue Newsroom, and follow Florida Blue on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram @Florida.Blue; and X (formerly Twitter) @FLBlue.