Nourishing Our Neighbors
How Torrance Memorial is Helping to Fight Hunger
In the South Bay, a community known for its abundance, it might be surprising to learn that nearly 30% of adults struggle with food insecurity. Food insecurity refers to the condition in which people lack access to enough nutritious foods to lead a healthy life.
It frequently results from financial and social challenges like the rising cost of housing and food or living in neighborhoods without proper grocery stores or easy access to farmer's markets. Natural disasters, war, and the way our food system is structured can also make it difficult to access adequate healthy food.
Individuals dealing with food insecurity are at higher risk of becoming malnourished and developing chronic health issues, such as diabetes and heart disease. According to a 2022 report from Torrance Memorial, 27.5% of adults in the hospital’s service area who live below 300% of the federal poverty level were found to be food insecure. This percentage exceeds the 26.8% rate for all of Los Angeles County. (Access Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap interactive tool to find local food insecurity and food costs in your neighborhood.)
Claire Coignard, director of Health Education and Healthlinks at Torrance Memorial, says that the data is finally starting to show a slight drop in food insecurity; however, there is still much work to be done.
“It takes everyone in the community working together to address this issue," she says. "No one organization can do it alone, but together we are positively impacting this issue.”
Torrance Memorial Medical Center has taken steps including screening patients for food insecurity during hospital visits and adding a new software tool, FindHelp, into our system. This tool allows healthcare providers to connect patients directly with different food assistance programs, including RFoodX, Project Angel Food, and Meals on Wheels, which offer medically tailored meals to people dealing with chronic health issues.
Torrance Memorial has been fighting food insecurity for several years. Measures include working with local organizations like Community’s Child and New Challenge Ministries in their efforts to fight food insecurity. For nearly 11 years, Torrance Memorial has hosted Community’s Child Health Day, where families in need can receive free health screenings, supplies, resources, and connect with local organizations and service providers.
Members of the Torrance Memorial Nutrition Services Team have also taken the opportunity to volunteer with an organization called Feed My Starving Children that creates meal kits for hungry children and communities around the globe. Taking small actions like getting involved, raising awareness, and supporting efforts to address food insecurity all contribute to making a positive difference.
Members of the Torrance Memorial Nutrition Services team volunteering with Feed My Starving Children, creating meal kits for families in need.
Torrance Memorial has also participated in Community Child’s Healthy Bags program, which identifies nutritionally at-risk children attending schools in the area and sends them home with a bag of nutrient-dense groceries every Friday.
Johanna Johnson-Gilman, director of Food and Nutrition Services, forged a partnership with New Challenge Ministries in recent years, to donate non-perishable food from the hospital's kitchens to share with those in need in our community. New Challenge Ministries is the South Bay’s largest food bank and is closely involved in a food rescue program to help limit food waste and provide food to those most in need.
If you or someone you know could benefit from these services, or if you’re interested in volunteering to join the fight against food insecurity, please refer to the list of resources below. By supporting efforts to end food insecurity, we can work toward a community where no one has to worry about where their next meal is coming from, because everyone deserves the chance to nourish their body and their future.
Resource List
- SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program
- WIC: Women Infants and Children
https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic
https://www.communityschild.org/
https://newchallengeministries.org/
If you have questions or are interested in learning more techniques to help build a healthy and nutritious lifestyle, contact one of our registered dietitian nutritionists at the Outpatient Medical Nutrition Therapy office or our Diabetes Self-Management Program located in the Torrance Memorial Lundquist Lurie Cardiovascular Center, 2841 Lomita Blvd., Suite 335. Call 310-891-6707 or visit TorranceMemorial.org/nutrition for upcoming classes and programs.
Article Written By Marissa Minderler MS, RDN and Frank Albano Jr MS, RDN
Torrance Memorial Clinical Dietitians
