The Capital Area Food Bank has received a $450,000 grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF in support of a collaborative new effort to strengthen the healthcare workforce and expand career opportunities for frontline workers through a pathway initiative to meet the evolving healthcare needs in the Washington, DC community.
The Bedford Falls Pathfinder program is designed to create long-term, sustainable workforce development by investing in local talent already serving vulnerable populations while leveraging on local partners and resources. It is supported by a multi-year grant from The Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF and developed in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank, Catholic Charities-DC, Children’s National Hospital, So Others Might Eat (SOME), Trinity Washington University, and Unity Health Care. Research will also be conducted by NORC of the University of Chicago throughout the program to share learning and impact with a broader community.
Through this grant, the food bank will be providing support that will enable participants to purchase food at retail grocery stores. Food access is a critical piece of ensuring that participants have the resources they need to complete this training program and secure employment in the healthcare sector.
“This partnership represents exactly the kind of comprehensive approach needed to create pathways to economic stability,” said Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. “By removing the barrier of food access during training, we are helping people complete those programs and pursue meaningful healthcare careers. We’re investing in a stronger, more resilient community, where those who have experienced food insecurity firsthand can now serve as healthcare providers for our most vulnerable neighbors.”
The Bedford Falls Foundation, a private foundation, and the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF, its associate donor advised fund, were each established by Bill Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the global investment firm the Carlyle Group, and his late wife, Joanne Barkett Conway. The shared mission of their nursing philanthropy is to remove barriers to a high-quality nursing education and address the critical nursing workforce shortage. In addition to nursing, the Foundation also supports health and human service initiatives in Washington, D.C. that provides pathway opportunities aimed at strengthening community well-being and access to care for our most vulnerable populations.
“The partnership and collaboration on this initiative with our established partners is deeply meaningful to our Foundation,” said Bill Conway. “Supporting pathways for individuals to become registered nurses and advancing the broader health and human services – helps build a stronger community and healthier future for all of us.”
The program is expected to launch later this year.
About the Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for more than a million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, the food bank provided more than 60 million meals to people in need last year by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including Martha’s Table, SOME – So Others Might Eat, DC Central Kitchen, Food for Others, Manna, and others. It also works in partnership with organizations across the region to address hunger’s root causes by pairing food with critical services such as education, health care, and job training. To learn more, visit https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/ or call (202.644.9864).