One Heart for Women and Children aims to address food insecurity in Orange County by connecting residents in food deserts with food delivery and secondary services. The project serves ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families, leveraging food assistance as a gateway to additional resources, including benefits assistance, resume and job skills training, financial literacy programs, and employment support. The goal is to deliver nutritious food to 55,000 households while collaborating with 20 community-based organizations (CBOs) to empower families toward self-sufficiency.

Why We Did It

The motivation behind the project arose from alarming findings in the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) data, indicating that 49% of households in Orange County were below the ALICE threshold, and Second Harvest Food Bank projected a 49% increase in households needing food assistance. One Heart responded by developing a model that uses food delivery as the entry point for connecting families to essential services and resources.

Topics: Community Care|Food Security/Nutrition|Health Equity and Access to Care