For the team at S.E.R.V.E. Food Pantry, food has never been just food. It is medicine, dignity, and a lifeline for thousands of neighbors facing food insecurity in the community. That belief is now receiving national recognition — and a significant financial boost.

S.E.R.V.E. Food Pantry has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Anthem Health Foundation in support of its Food IS Medicine initiative, a program that bridges the gap between healthcare and nutrition for residents managing chronic and underlying medical conditions who cannot afford the healthy food their bodies need.

“We are thrilled to share that we have been awarded $25,000 from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield for our Food IS Medicine initiative,” said Lee Cheney, Executive Director of S.E.R.V.E. “The dollars awarded will allow us to continue to procure fresh, locally grown food from Virginia farmers to distribute for free to our neighbors in need.”

The Anthem Health Foundation's grant program supports meaningful Food As Medicine interventions that enhance the quality and accessibility of nutritious foods nationwide. S.E.R.V.E.'s model is a compelling example of exactly that kind of intervention in action.

S.E.R.V.E. already distributes nearly 1.2 million pounds of food annually, and an impressive 60% of all food distributed is healthy and nutritious, which is a deliberate commitment to addressing the social determinants of health that disproportionately affect underserved populations. Too often, individuals and families in under-resourced communities face not just hunger, but a systemic lack of access to the fresh, wholesome foods that prevent and manage disease.

The Food IS Medicine program takes that commitment one step further. Guests who visit S.E.R.V.E. and are managing an existing or underlying medical condition can receive a prescription for food — an “RX for Food” — directly from their medical provider. Armed with that prescription, they can visit S.E.R.V.E. to receive the fresh food items they need to meet their specific dietary requirements.

“Our guests who come to S.E.R.V.E., who are managing an existing or underlying medical condition, are able to get an RX for Food from their medical provider and come to us for all the fresh food items they need to tackle their dietary needs,” Cheney explained. “[This is] food they simply cannot afford otherwise.”

For many guests, this program means the difference between managing a condition like diabetes or heart disease effectively and simply going without the foods their doctors have recommended, but their budgets cannot accommodate.

With this new funding, S.E.R.V.E. will deepen its partnerships with Virginia farmers, keeping food dollars local while ensuring guests receive the freshest produce possible. It is a community-centered approach that nourishes both people and the regional agricultural economy.

For S.E.R.V.E., the grant is both a financial award and validation of the critical frontier in the fight for health equity: the intersection of food access and healthcare. As Cheney and her team continue their work, one thing remains clear: every meal served is an act of dignity, and every dollar invested brings that mission one step closer to reaching everyone who needs it.