Published: November 19, 2021
LANSING, MI – Sparrow has launched a new initiative to reach out and help hungry families, especially pregnant women in need. The program, Feeding Your Growing Family – Addressing Food Insecurity among At-Risk Mothers, will aim at helping at-risk woman of child-bearing age who are either patients of Sparrow’s High-Risk Ob/Gyn clinic or delivering children at Sparrow Hospital.
“The lack of steady access to food has been directly linked to a poor pregnancy and tougher deliveries, including low birth weight and diabetes during pregnancy,” said Tonyie Andrews-Johnson, Director, Sparrow Hospital Women’s Services. “This pilot project will find and assist food insecure mothers and families in an attempt to reduce their stress and anxiety while also getting newborns started on a healthy path.”
The primary goal of the program is to decrease food insecurity and increase nutrition, health and wellness among at-risk mothers and their children by providing greater access to healthy foods, wrap around resources, nutrition education, meal preparation supplies, and social support resources.
Through partnerships with the Delta Dental Foundation, Capital Area United Way, Greater Lansing Food Bank, and Ingham County Health Department, the program is aimed at decreasing food insecurity and increasing nutrition for at-risk mothers in Mid-Michigan.
By providing free access to resources, healthy food, and nutrition education, this program addresses at least four common barriers to health – transportation, financial stability, education, and access to resources.
Funding was made possible thanks to the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, which has awarded a $231,206 grant to the Sparrow Foundation. The Michigan Health Endowment Fund has donated more than half a million dollars to the Sparrow Foundation since 2017.
For more information about the Sparrow Foundation, go to SparrowFoundation.org.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier healthcare organization and includes hospitals in Lansing, Carson City, Charlotte, Ionia, and St. Johns, as well as Sparrow Specialty Hospital, Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group and the Michigan Athletic Club. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. As a not for profit healthcare system, charitable support from individuals, corporations, and organizations to the Sparrow Foundation provides vital funding for the programs we deliver to strengthen our regions health and wellness. For more information, visit sparrow.org.