Ending hunger by creating a food system that provides nourishing food to all human beings, is core to being a nutrition and dietetic professional. Yet, those working jobs most US citizens don't want to do—immigrants, refugees and migrant workers, often experience hunger and food insecurity.

Understanding cultural and migration experiences of immigrants, refugees and migrant workers, US political policy and trends driven by crisis and climate change give context to barriers such as awareness, access, language, discrimination and fear of deportation, to food bank assistance and short-comings of culturally insensitive offerings.

Traditional, donation-reliant food bank assistance services have been criticized for lacking long-term self-reliance. However, four food bank – health care partnership models bringing to light innovative case studies from San Antonio, Texas and the US that demonstrate sustainability, inclusion and resilience.

An examination of a RDN-lead partnership with Feeding Tampa Bay gives a practice perspective for developing food bank – health care partnerships and adapting more culturally-sensitive food bank offerings. These conversations will provide resources of organizations who connect these ethnic populations with services, resources for money and how nutrition and dietetic professionals can act at a community, policy and governmental level.

Planned with the Global Member Interest Group