Community Health & Well-Being: Fighting food insecurity across the Mid-Atlantic
January 6, 2026Food insecurity can strike at any time. Unexpected medical/household expenses and the skyrocketing cost of living can quickly make it difficult for individuals and families to afford a trip to the grocery store. Luckily, the Community Health & Well-Being (CHWB) team at Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic is on hand to connect patients and colleagues to the necessary resources they need to stay healthy and secure, even when times are hard.
Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, which recently combined into a new unified Regional Health Ministry, includes six hospitals and associated outpatient locations across Maryland, Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania. Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic’s hospitals include Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., Holy Cross Germantown Hospital in Germantown, Md., Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del., Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa., Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia and St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa.
The Community Health & Well-Being team offers a robust lineup of programs that goes beyond clinical care to optimize health for those experiencing poverty and other vulnerabilities. This includes links to food resources across the three states.
Maryland
According to Kimberley McBride, regional vice president of Community Health & Well-Being, there are several facets to its food security work in Maryland, including a greenhouse and garden on the campus of Holy Cross Germantown Hospital.
“We have 19 garden bed plots that are for community members who are food insecure. We provide them seeds and teach them how to grow their own food,” says McBride. “There’s also an education piece. For example, we have a free pickling class coming up to show the gardeners how to pickle their vegetables if they have an abundance.”
These plots are typically filled when a community health worker identifies a patient who can benefit from it. Full and half plots are available depending on a person’s needs.
For those who don’t exactly have a green thumb, CHWB directs food insecure individuals to the Montgomery County Food Council’s resource guide, which lists all pantries in the area. Meanwhile, FindHelp.org can direct folks to pantries in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
As for colleagues who are facing food insecurity, there are numerous options. In addition to utilizing the above-mentioned resources, those in Maryland can connect with Mission Services, which partners with Catholic Charities and Catholic Health Association. Especially in times of crisis, mission leaders like Emily Southerton can help link colleagues to food banks, as well as spiritual care, health clinics and other services to support general well-being.
“We’re a connector to resources. It’s about linking arms and having strong partnerships,” says Southerton. “It’s also about helping the colleagues feel equipped in these situations and the complexities of life so that they can continue to come back day after day.”
Pennsylvania and Delaware
Since 2012, a key food security initiative of Community Health & Well-Being’s work in Pennsylvania and Delaware has been the Farmbox program. On a weekly basis, patients and colleagues alike can head to any of the four hospitals in the market area or select Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic Medical Group sites to pick up a box full of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. The boxes cost $10-$15, or $5 for those with SNAP. In addition to the Farmboxes, meat, eggs and fish are available for order online or by calling 215-710-4163.
Across seven sites, the Farmbox program—which runs year-round—served more than 10,760 individuals in fiscal year 2025. This was made possible thanks to CHWB’s many partners, all of whom share the same mission—ensuring no one goes hungry.
“We work with as many partners as possible to bring in high nutrition foods. There’s always a leafy green, a vegetable, starch and fruit. We partner with Philabundance, who provides produce, and then we work with the gleaning partner Rolling Harvest Food Rescue,” says Joann Dorr, regional director, CHWB. “Farmers will go in with volunteers to glean the extra crops for use in programs like the Farmboxes. Many farmers are now planting a couple extra acres just for that purpose.”
Farmboxes can also be picked up at the HELP Center. Located at 194 Commerce Circle in Bristol, Pa., the “Healthy Eating and Living Partnership” is a collaboration between St. Mary Medical Center and the nonprofits United Way of Bucks County and Bucks County Opportunity Council. Locals in need can obtain food, as well as essentials like toiletries, cleaning supplies, furniture and more. Though it looks like a retail store, everything at the HELP Center is free.
Additionally, thanks to a recent $20,000 grant from the City of Philadelphia, Nazareth Hospital—with its large kitchen—now has the capacity to put together prepared meals for patients and colleagues who may need a little extra support. Organized by the Food and Nutrition Services Department, a freezer filled with these free meals is located in the hospital’s newly reopened gift shop.
“Whether it’s colleagues or the community, they can just come in and pick up what they need,” says Dorr. “We’re trying to answer whatever the call is for the greatest needs in our community and make sure those resources are available.”
Visit Community Health & Well-Being at Trinity Health for more information, or visit the websites linked below for details about additional resources available in your community.