AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina, MANNA FoodBank Team Up to Expand Access to Nutritious Food, Support Local Growers

AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina is making a multi-year, $5 million community investment to help MANNA FoodBank create more sustainable access to nutritious food and strengthen local growers in western North Carolina through the non-profit’s “Essential Foods Program”. 

The money will also go to replacing and improving strategic infrastructure, along with fostering the development of community hubs. MANNA will use the hubs to aggregate and distribute food to 225+ partner organizations that then get that food to families across 16 counties and the Qualla Boundary.

Nutrient-dense staples such as meat, eggs, and cheese, as well as fresh produce, are all considered “essential foods.” The program will locally source as much of its purchases as possible, which supports farmers in the region while it increases access to food for children, seniors, veterans, and working families. 

“This extraordinary commitment from AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina is an investment in health, stability, and local resilience,” said Claire Neal, CEO of MANNA FoodBank. “Together, we will deliver more of the most essential foods families ask for and strengthen the local network that makes long-term food security possible for our region.”

MANNA FoodBank developed the Essential Foods Program based on input from people living in its service area. Their desire for more healthy food options close to home spurred the idea for local food hubs. 

In the project’s first phase, lasting six months, MANNA FoodBank will invest in the creation of the hubs, as well as in growing its partners' capacity, adding regional cold storage capacity and enhancing distribution to keep healthy food moving to where it is needed most. 

In the following years, the investment will support MANNA FoodBank’s ongoing food purchases, repairing and replacing infrastructure damaged during Hurricane Helene last year, and developing additional community hubs. 

“Access to nutritious food is foundational to good health,” said AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina Market President Heidi Chan. “By partnering with MANNA FoodBank, we’re helping to ensure families across Western North Carolina can count on consistent access to healthy foods and building the region’s capacity to support community well-being for years to come.”

People in MANNA FoodBank’s service area are currently making more than 195,000 visits each month to its network of food partner pantries, the highest numbers in the organization’s 42-year history. As the region continues down the long road to recovery from Hurricane Helene, many families are still coping with high housing costs, stagnant wages, and inflation, and these ongoing challenges have created an urgent situation for tens of thousands of western North Carolinians.