Introduction: The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to give qualified organizations the opportunity to inform Community Behavioral Health (CBH) of their interest in participating in a food pantry partnership with Philadelphia based Sanctuary Farm.
Food insecurity has greatly impacted the Philadelphia region with increased concerns since the onset of the pandemic. According to 2020 Philabundance data, healthy and affordable food is not consistently available to one out of every 10 people in the Philadelphia region. Childhood food insecurity increased to 30% in Philadelphia in 2020, impacting over 100,000 children. Furthermore, there has been a widening of racial and ethnic disparity when it comes to food insecurity due to the global pandemic. Black and Hispanic Philadelphians experience food insecurity three to five times more frequently than White Philadelphians. Inflation has also increased food prices impacting access to high-quality and fresh food for many Philadelphia residents.
Many mental health concerns have been associated with food insecurity. The National Institutes of Health reports that a lack of access to nutritious food can have a major impact on mental health. This is especially true for children. Experiences of hunger during childhood can result in greater risk of depression and suicidal ideation in adolescents and early adulthood. Studies have found that food insecurities are linked with higher rates of a wide range of adolescent mood, behavior, and substance abuse disorders in addition to weakened attachments between infant and parents, which may negatively impact children’s mental health later in life. Additionally, it is hypothesized that there is a positive correlation between experiencing nutritional deprivation due to childhood hunger and symptoms of depression later in life.
A mobile food pantry partnership with behavioral health providers serving children and families would support access to healthy, nutritious food, with a focus on providing healthy meals to children outside of school hours, including weekends as well as winter, spring and summer breaks. The mobile food pantry could bring fresh produce and other nutritious food to the behavioral health providers at predetermined dates and times. In addition to providing healthy food, families are also offered nutritional education.
Food pantries can increase access to healthy and nutritious food while simultaneously addressing mental health concerns associated with food insecurity. It is expected that if this project is implemented, the partnership with Sanctuary Farms would align with CBH’s vision for whole-person care for healthy, thriving communities and would deepen CBH's impact on the communities served.
Terms of RFI: This RFI is for information gathering purposes only and is not intended to result in a contract with any respondent. CBH is seeking community insight and information prior to considering the development of a pilot program. While the goal of the RFI is to inform a potential partnership opportunity, this RFI does not commit CBH to publish a procurement or award a contract. The issuance of a procurement as a result of information gathering from these responses is solely at the discretion of CBH. Responses to this RFI will in no way impact any future applications submitted to procurements regarding this training opportunity. Those wishing to respond to any potential future requests are not required to have first responded to this RFI.
Applicant and Project Requirements: Organizations responding to this RFI must be an in-network service provider in good standing with the City of Philadelphia and CBH.
Following the Submission: CBH will review all submissions and determine next steps based on information submitted. CBH plans to share relevant insights publicly.