Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Receives Funding from Rite Aid Healthy Futures to Support Healthier Together

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has received a $300,000 grant from Rite Aid Healthy Futures to expand the impact of Healthier Together programs focused on healthy food access. Healthier Together will partner with the Garden at the Nicolas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center in West Philadelphia, Medical Financial Partnership and Family Justice Partnership.

The grant comes as part of Rite Aid Healthy Futures’ Connecting Communities program, which directs funding to anchor institutions, such as hospitals, that nurture and promote health equity for children. CHOP is one of 40 hospitals that received funding to support work in children’s health and wellness.

The funds will be used to bolster existing programs at CHOP’s Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center, further aiding the West Philadelphia community. Expanded services will include constructing a greenhouse at the Garden at Karabots to grow seedlings for distribution to community gardeners, serving more families facing food insecurity through the Medical Financial Partnership and supporting families who receive SNAP/WIC benefits through the Family Justice Partnership.

“Healthier Together tackles four social influencers of health - hunger, housing, trauma, and poverty - by supporting evidence-based programs in partnership with residents, community nonprofits and government agencies,” said Dr. Vanesa Karamanian, Director of Healthier Together at CHOP. “This generous support from Rite Aid Healthy Futures will allow us to strengthen programming to work toward our goal of closing the food security gap. We will increase access to healthy, nutritious foods for families across West and Southwest Philadelphia, in the trusted setting of CHOP's Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pediatric Care Center.”

According to a 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, more than 44 million people lived in food-insecure households last year, a 31 percent increase from the prior year.

“Children’s hospitals are on the front lines seeing and treating the profound effects of hunger, food apartheid and systemic racism in communities across our nation every day,” said Matt DeCamara, executive director of Rite Aid Healthy Futures. “Treating food as medicine and engaging communities in programs that stabilize food access, reduce disease prevalence and create local sovereignty builds healthier and more resilient children, families and neighborhoods. It is imperative to act with purpose and urgency to address the food insecurity crisis. We are proud to partner with so many leading health care systems to ensure pathways to many healthier tomorrows.”

This fall’s allocation marks the third round of grant funding Healthy Futures has issued through the Connecting Communities signature initiative. Grants are made possible by the generosity of customers who round up their purchases through Rite Aid’s KidCents program.