As we head into the holidays, food banks and pantries across North Carolina continue to face surging demand. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) is committed to nourishing families today and every day, because we know that access to food is essential for the health and well-being of our members and communities.
The need is urgent: 1 in 7 North Carolinians face limited access to food. Barriers to healthy eating are driving diet-related chronic conditions. We’re working with our employees, providers, and community partners to expand access to food, as we reimagine the role of food in health care.
Putting our Purpose into Action
We sprang into action with an on-campus food drive, rallying employees to donate shelf-stable food items for local families. Thanks to their generosity, we provided a total of 1,182 meals to our North Carolinian neighbors.
But the effort didn’t stop there. Across the state, Blue Cross NC employees joined community partners and volunteers to participate in dozens of events, working side-by-side with organizations dedicated to improving access to food, including:
• 16,000 boxes packed with Second Harvest's Food Banks Sort-a-Rama event
• Over 13,500 pounds of food collected in partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway, benefitting Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina
• 2,000 Thanksgiving meals distributed to families across the Triangle in partnership with the Carolina Hurricanes
Throughout November, Blue Cross NC’s Healthy Blue Medicaid managed care plan delivered food and essential household items to more than 3,000 families statewide, including distributing diapers to over 1,000 children through diaper drives at our Charlotte, Brier Creek, and Fayetteville Neighborhood Centers.
“Our employees embody our Purpose every day, but especially in times of need to support our local communities and make a real impact across the state,” said Cheryl Parquet, associate vice president of Community Engagement at Blue Cross NC. “In November alone, Blue Cross NC employees recorded more than 1,200 volunteerism hours benefiting food related organizations.”
Driving Long-Term Change
Blue Cross NC is also leading the way in addressing non-medical drivers of health.
In 2021, we launched a pilot to help members learn about and apply for SNAP. This initiative helped improve food access, reduced food insecurity, and helped lower medical costs, proving that connecting people to food leads to better health outcomes.
“When one person doesn’t have access to food, it impacts all of us. It means more illness, higher health care costs, and less resilient communities,” said Colleen Briggs, vice president of Corporate Responsibility at Blue Cross NC and president of the Blue Cross NC Foundation. “For more than 20 years, Blue Cross NC has been committed to improving food and nutrition security for all North Carolinians. We’re ensuring our members and communities have access to nutritious foods, so they can live healthier lives.”
Together, these efforts reflect our commitment to advancing health through food. By combining the passion of our employees with the expertise of community partners, we’re building a brighter, healthier North Carolina for all.
