More than a quarter of all cancer patients suffer from food insecurity. Black and Hispanic patients and families are particularly susceptible to this reality.

The School of Social Policy and Practice (SP2) and Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), working in partnership with the nonprofit Coalition for Food and Health Equity, are taking steps to help people with cancer who are also experiencing food insecurity. Thanks to a $75,000 grant from the American Cancer Society, the ACC will house the Ujamaa Mobile Community refrigerator, which provides free access to fresh, healthful, premade meals, snacks, and beverages for people receiving treatment for cancer. The grant was made possible by a multidisciplinary and multiorganizational team including PC3I Innovation Faculty Member Meredith Doherty, PhD, LCSW.

For more information on the grant and the Ujamaa Mobile Community refrigerator, read the full news release from the Coalition for Food and Health Equity.