Nourishing Tomorrow, Today: JFF Renews Support for GCFB Program

The Junaid Family Foundation (JFF) is proud to renew its grant to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank (GCFB) in support of Nourishing Tomorrow, a critical research initiative tackling persistent racial and income disparities in infant mortality in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

In Cuyahoga County, Black infants are over three times more likely than white infants to die before their first birthday.¹ Premature birth is the leading cause of infant mortality and is often linked to food insecurity. Despite growing interest in food-as-medicine (FIM) interventions, there is limited evidence of their impact, especially for those facing high-risk pregnancies. Nourishing Tomorrow aims to change that narrative.

Through a collaboration between healthcare providers and community organizations, this study focuses on addressing food insecurity during pregnancy by comparing three methods of delivering medically tailored groceries with the overarching goal of determining which approach most effectively supports maternal and fetal health.

“Nourishing Tomorrow builds on the success of our pilot program, Nourishing Beginnings, which has demonstrated promise in reducing food insecurity and stress, as well as improving diet quality, all of which can have a positive influence on birth outcomes” says Alissa Glenn, Director of Community Health and Research at the GCFB. “As we move forward, Nourishing Tomorrow will allow us to evaluate the impact of Medically Tailored Groceries on a larger number of expecting families, and better understand a few different models of service delivery. We hope that our results can contribute to better health outcomes across Ohio and the country, for those experiencing food insecurity during and after pregnancy.”

Aside from the goal of improving maternal and fetal health, Nourishing Tomorrow seeks to increase food security, reduce stress, enhance food literacy, and improve cooking self-efficacy amongst program participants. JFF was proud to support the initial phase of the program which has demonstrated positive results to this point. Given such promising initial findings, Case Western Reserve University, in partnership with GCFB, MetroHealth, and University Hospitals, recently received a five-year NIH grant to support one of the first comprehensive studies on using medically tailored groceries to reduce food insecurity and improve health outcomes for mothers and babies. The program will now be able to serve over 350 participants, tripling their impact. 

By investing in this innovative research, the GCFB and its partners seek to build scalable strategies that improve maternal and infant health among communities disproportionately affected by structural and racial inequities. Findings from the study will help shape future FIM programs and offer a plan for integrating nutrition into prenatal care, inching the U.S. closer to a future where no mother’s health is compromised by a lack of access to food.

“We commend the team at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank on this outstanding work – as leaders in our community and trailblazers on a national stage. Tackling the deep-rooted inequities in our city demands a systemic, multi-layered response. We are proud to stand alongside the Food Bank in advancing a bold and comprehensive approach to maternal health,” says Jackie Range, Executive Director for the Junaid Family Foundation.

The Greater Cleveland Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, serving citizens through food pantries, community meals, and children and senior programs.

¹ 2023 Cuyahoga County Child Fatality Report Executive Summary. Health and Human Services Cuyahoga County, Ohio. (2023). https://hhs.cuyahogacounty.gov/docs/default-source/invest-in-children-documents/2021-cfr-report-exex-summary.pdf?sfvrsn=25232ab_4