Giving and Receiving
This has been a groundbreaking year for Ceres Community Project, as we’re on track to deliver 200,000 meals. That’s almost three times the amount in 2019, and more than we delivered during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the past 15 years, we’ve been making nourishing, love-filled meals for those in our community facing an acute illness; during COVID- 19 we expanded to support those with diet-related chronic illnesses and to offer additional meals or a healthy grocery bag to clients facing food insecurity. Now almost half of our clients have a serious chronic illness like heart disease or diabetes. No matter their diagnosis, Ceres is the primary way in which they access the healthy, medically tailored meals needed to manage or improve their condition.
Meet Kim Christensen who, at 35 years old with two small children, was diagnosed with rectal cancer. She began losing weight quickly and was constantly feeling depleted. Kim recalls, “I started eating Ceres food, which is perfectly balanced with protein and healthy fats, and my energy really went up. The food was delicious and healthy, so I never had to worry about what I or my family was eating.” While receiving Ceres meals, Kim and her sons created a great connection with their Delivery Angel and his two daughters, who accompanied him on routes. These interactions are what stuck with Kim, who felt alone in her struggle before she found Ceres. For many of our clients who are physically isolated or feel alone, the connection that they have with our volunteers is critical for them in their time of need. Now, Kim’s story has come full circle – she is a Delivery Angel and takes her two sons with her to deliver meals.
Kim is just one of thousands of clients we’ve supported. As part of our commitment to making meals more widely available, we conduct pilots to demonstrate to insurers and policy makers the impact of home-delivered medically tailored meals. One example is our Perinatal Health Pilot, which provides low-income pregnant women and their families with medically tailored meals and produce “prescriptions.” The goal is to improve maternal health and reduce infant mortality and birth complications. Starting in 2023, this work will be supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Another pilot, now completed, supported MediCal patients with uncontrolled hypertension and/or diabetes. After 12 weeks of medically tailored meals, 66% of patients with diabetes had improved their A1c by 1.9 points, on average. We’ve also contracted with Partnership HealthPlan, the MediCal insurer in our area, to provide medically tailored meals and groceries to their members who are living with serious and chronic illnesses, using the new MediCal Community Supports benefit which Ceres helped to establish. This funding covers only a portion of our meals but impacts a wide range of low-income people who would otherwise be left to manage their illnesses and diets alone. Whether through meals we provide locally, or through our advocacy with health insurers and policy makers, we are committed to providing our neighbors with care and nutritious meals tailored to their illness. Your support can help us provide the same experience that Kim had to hundreds more clients in the year ahead. “Ceres made me feel cared for and loved. Like a warm hug. Ceres is a warm hug when you’re really scared and not able to care for yourself.”