Beyond the Thanksgiving Table: Why Food Security Matters to Community Health
This Thanksgiving, Central Outreach and Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation are reminding our neighbors that access to nutritious food is an essential part of maintaining good health.
Thanksgiving is a time for gathering around the table, sharing meals, and expressing gratitude for the people who support us. But for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, the holiday season can also bring added financial pressure and uncertainty about where their next meal will come from.
Food insecurity is more than an empty refrigerator. It is the lack of consistent access to enough food to support an active, healthy life. For people managing chronic health conditions, including HIV and hepatitis C, unreliable access to nutritious food can create additional challenges to maintaining their health and staying engaged in medical care.
At Central Outreach Wellness Center, we recognize that quality healthcare extends beyond the examination room. Addressing the everyday challenges that affect our patients' well-being is an important part of our commitment to compassionate, comprehensive care.
When Food Security Becomes a Healthcare Issue
The relationship between food security and healthcare is especially important for individuals managing chronic illnesses.
For someone balancing the costs of groceries, housing, transportation, and medical expenses, prioritizing healthcare can become difficult. Food insecurity may contribute to missed appointments, difficulty maintaining medication routines, and increased stress.
These challenges are particularly relevant to people living with HIV, who depend on consistent access to antiretroviral treatment, and people undergoing hepatitis C treatment.
Hepatitis C is curable, often through a relatively short course of oral antiviral medication. However, successful treatment requires patients to follow their prescribed medication schedules and maintain communication with their healthcare providers.
For example, Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir), a commonly prescribed hepatitis C treatment, must be taken with food. Patients experiencing food insecurity may find it more difficult to consistently meet this requirement.
Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir), another commonly prescribed hepatitis C treatment, can generally be taken with or without food. Nevertheless, the broader challenges associated with food insecurity can still make it harder for patients to maintain consistent healthcare routines.
For patients who are concerned about accessing food while taking their medications, speaking with a healthcare provider is an important first step. Treatment plans should account for each patient's individual circumstances, including the resources available to them.
Access to medication is essential, but so is access to the everyday resources that help patients complete their treatment.
Hugh's Kitchen: Nourishing Our LGBTQ+ and HIV Communities
On Pittsburgh's North Side, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation is working to address food insecurity through Hugh's Kitchen, an LGBTQ+ food and hygiene pantry serving community members in need.
Located alongside Central Outreach's Pittsburgh HepCMyWay Center of Excellence at 925 Brighton Road, Hugh's Kitchen provides access to groceries, personal hygiene products, and safer sex supplies.
The initiative reflects Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation's broader mission to improve health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV by addressing the social and economic conditions that influence their well-being.
For individuals experiencing food insecurity, access to a welcoming and affirming environment can be just as important as access to the resources themselves.
“Good health begins with more than medicine,” said Kathi Scholz, Director of Hepatitis C Elimination Programming. “Through our partnership with Hugh's Kitchen, we're able to connect patients with access to nutritious food. Holistic healthcare means recognizing that the challenges people face outside the clinic can directly affect their well-being. By working together, we're conscientious of the life cycle of patient care and the support they need to thrive.”
Hugh's Kitchen offers community members the opportunity to select groceries with assistance from staff and volunteers, helping individuals and families access essential supplies in a supportive setting.
Initiatives like Hugh's Kitchen help to reduce the burden of food insecurity while strengthening the network of support available to LGBTQ+ and HIV-impacted communities throughout Pittsburgh.
Sharing More Than a Meal This Thanksgiving
As Thanksgiving approaches, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation is bringing the community together to help ensure more of our neighbors have access to holiday meals.
Its Stuff-A-Jeep Food Drive, scheduled for Saturday, November 14, from 10 AM to noon at 925 Brighton Road, will collect nonperishable holiday meal essentials for the foundation's upcoming Harvest Friendsgiving food distribution.
Requested donations include stuffing, canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, gravy, and other traditional holiday meal ingredients.
In addition to the Stuff-A-Jeep Food Drive, Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation's Rainbow Bags initiative offers another opportunity to support community members experiencing food insecurity.
Through this annual program, Hugh Lane continues its commitment to providing essential resources to LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV, recognizing that access to food and other basic necessities is an important part of maintaining health and well-being.
Together, these efforts demonstrate how community service can help address immediate needs. For people who may be spending the holidays without reliable access to food, these resources provide an opportunity to connect with a community committed to their health, dignity, and well-being.
Need Food Assistance? Hugh's Kitchen Is Here to Help.
If you are LGBTQ+, living with HIV, or part of the communities served by Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation and are experiencing food insecurity, you do not have to navigate these challenges alone.
Hugh's Kitchen provides food and hygiene assistance to eligible community members throughout the year, not just during the holidays.
Hugh's Kitchen – LGBTQ+ Food and Hygiene Pantry
Location: 925 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Regular Pantry Hours:
- Wednesday: 12 PM–5 PM
- Thursday: 1 PM–6 PM
- Friday: 10 AM–2 PM
Email: info@hughlane.org
Learn more and sign up:https://hughlane.org/community-health/lgbtq-food-pantry/
Community members are encouraged to contact Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation for information about accessing food assistance and upcoming holiday programming. Holiday schedules and distribution availability may differ from regular pantry hours.
At Central Outreach, we believe everyone deserves access to healthcare that recognizes the whole person. This Thanksgiving, we are grateful for community partners like Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation who help make that commitment possible.
