“Roughly 12 percent of seniors lack regular access to enough food in Kentucky, and we are beyond grateful to God’s Pantry for their partnership so that the patients in our care can focus on their health and well-being, rather than worrying about where their next meal will come from,” said Dave Carper (M.Div., BCC), Bluegrass Care Navigators Counseling Resource Officer.

This collaboration began when members of the Bluegrass Care Navigators’ team recognized a consistent challenge during home visits, as many patients facing serious illness also struggle with access to food. Brittany Anderson (MSW, CSW, APHS), Pediatric Palliative Care Social Worker, and Katy Evans (MSW, CSW), Palliative Care Social Worker, helped pilot the program, working with leadership to transform that need into a scalable solution.

“During home visits, I kept seeing patients struggling with food insecurity and unable to access available resources due to waitlists or transportation barriers,” Anderson said. “After sharing those concerns with my team and leadership, we worked together on a solution, but I never imagined it would grow into something reaching so many families.”

Across the service area, the impact is already clear. Evans recently delivered a box to a bed-bound patient who lives in a rural area. With a 20-minute trip to the nearest grocery store and a fixed income, putting food on the table is a daily concern.

“When I brought them their first food box, they were overjoyed, especially when they saw the macaroni and cheese,” Evans shared. “It was such a simple thing, but it brought real comfort.”

A Bluegrass Care Navigators volunteer also delivered a box to a grandfather who lives alone on a fixed income and is homebound after an injury. During a follow-up visit, he shared how much it meant, not just the groceries, but what they made possible. His face lit up as he described saving a box of brownie mix to make with his teenage granddaughter during her next visit.

“In that moment, I realized this was about so much more than food,” Anderson said. “It created connection, gave him something to look forward to, and reminded him that he matters. Meeting that basic need opened the door for joy and helped us care for him as a whole person.”

Each box is valued at approximately $17 and can feed a household for one to two days. Delivered monthly by team members and volunteers, the boxes are part of God’s Pantry’s Health Care Pantry Program, which connects healthcare providers with resources that support healing through proper nutrition. Patients are screened and receive support based on identified need.

“Food insecurity is a critical health issue, especially for those facing serious illness,” Danielle Bozarth, Interim President & CEO of God’s Pantry, shared. “Through our partnership with Bluegrass Care Navigators, we’re able to meet patients where they are to deliver not just food, but stability and support when they need it most.”

About God’s Pantry Food Bank:

One in six people in Kentucky do not know when they will receive their next meal – in Central and Eastern Kentucky, it is 1 in 5. We empower more than 500 partner pantries and meal programs across 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky. Our vision: A nourished life for every Kentuckian. Our mission: Reducing hunger by working together to feed Kentucky communities. Visit www.godspantry.org to learn more.



About Bluegrass Care Navigators

Established in 1978, Bluegrass Care Navigators provides hospice care in 32 counties across northern, central and eastern Kentucky. As a mission-driven, nonprofit agency, Bluegrass Care Navigators supports those facing serious illness or chronic disease with both long and short-term hospice care, palliative care, transitional care, PACE (Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly), and grief counseling services. For more information on services available by county, visit bgcarenav.org or call 855.492.0812.