Food insecurity is a huge issue in America, with 1 in 4 Black children worrying about their next meal. Black households face hunger at over two times the rate of white, non-Hispanic households, according to Feeding America®. Over the past 5 years, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation has contributed more than $6 million in grants to organizations on the frontlines of the childhood hunger crisis, such as The Dimock Center.
Located in Roxbury, MA, The Dimock Center offers a home for families seeking shelter, support for patients along their road to recovery, a resource for families in need, and a foundation for children to learn and grow. For over 150 years, The Dimock Center has made history, founded as the first hospital in New England for women, and an institution from which the first African American nurse graduated. Today the center continues its work as a known leader in innovative and integrated care, transforming the lives of almost 20,000 patients and families across Massachusetts each year.
The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation began working with The Dimock Center in 2018 to fund the Center’s important work toward creating accessible, quality healthcare and wellness for all. This is accomplished through the Head Start’s Wellness for All Initiative for low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and their parents. This initiative engages classroom teachers, parents and families in healthy food preparation and cooking classes that can lead to manageable changes in food choices and healthy habits. These activities address hunger and food insecurity, nurture joy in families in preparing and eating healthy foods together and ensure that young children access critical primary care for optimal health and development.
“The welfare of our community depends on the services we’re able to provide with help from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation,” said Dimock Center Chief Development Officer, Raquel Rosenblatt. “For over one hundred years, The Dimock Center has filled the gap for so many people that are faced with health disparities, and together with the Foundation, we look forward to continuing our mission to heal and uplift families.”
In honor of Juneteenth, we want to celebrate community organizations like The Dimock Center that are working to support underserved communities and are taking action to address inequities in our society. Today the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is giving an additional $25,000 to support the work of The Dimock Center.
To deeply understand the barriers of children experiencing hunger, and to identify promising solutions in support of these efforts, The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is partnering with Feeding America to host the first-ever Childhood Hunger Solutions Lab with a goal of identifying ways to end childhood hunger. The Lab will bring together hunger specialists and experts from across the country with a targeted goal of combating childhood hunger for all children.
Here at Dunkin’, we encourage all to lend their help to The Dimock Center and organizations like it. Join us in support by visiting www.dimock.org .
For more information on the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, please visit bringjoy.org.
