Coordinated Care Investments Bring Hope This Holiday Season: Tackling Food Insecurity and Nutrition Gaps in Washington
Coordinated Care has provided over 18 million meals statewide, including medically tailored meals, in addition to the member program Coordinated Care Harvest Bucks
TACOMA, Wash., Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Coordinated Care, a Washington managed care organization and wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC), has achieved a milestone of providing over 18 million meals across Washington since 2020, as part of their strategy to address food insecurity. This ongoing initiative is confirmation of their commitment to increase access to healthy food and comes as millions of Americans face increasing challenges in accessing nutritious meals due to recent disruptions to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food insecurity currently affects approximately 47.4 million people nationwide, including 13.8 million children.
Coordinated Care's One Million Meals campaign began during the COVID-19 pandemic has been exceeding their annual goal year-over-year. Working with our trusted partners who are embedded in their communities and know Washingtonians best, like Second Harvest, Northwest Harvest, Emergency Food Network, Lifelong, Eloise's Cooking Pot, Mill Creek Food Bank, Farestart and others, has produced these staggering results. Recent Coordinated Care staff volunteer efforts have also contributed, including:
- packing 5,000 bags for 2nd Harvest's Bite2Go program in Spokane
- preparing over 200 medically tailored meals for individuals living with chronic illness at Lifelong in Seattle
- re-packing over 7,000 lbs. of pears for Emergency Food Network in Lakewood
- and serving at FareStart's Guest Chef Night in Seattle, helping to raise over $13,000 to support their culinary job training program.
"Coordinated Care is an incredible example of a partner who we would describe as 'all-in' – volunteering their time, sharing generous financial support and promoting impactful programs that lead to healthy outcomes, especially around our nutrition education and self-sufficiency efforts," said Chris Houglum, philanthropy director at 2nd Harvest.
In addition to the One Million Meals initiative, Coordinated Care developed a program for their Medicaid members, Coordinated Care Harvest Bucks™. This program helps supplement limited grocery budgets with up to $100 a year, per member in produce prescriptions, redeemable at Safeway grocery stores and in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health. Members receive vouchers and get support from a care coordinator to help navigate resources, use our online tool FindHelp and provide nutritional health education.
"This work is a continuation of Coordinated Care's commitment since day one to helping those most in need and advancing long-term solutions to hunger and nutrition challenges," said Coordinated Care President and CEO Beth Johnson. "All of these initiatives demonstrate the value of managed care – going beyond the doctor's office to address a more holistic approach to healthcare."
These investments reflect Coordinated Care's broader mission to transform the health of the communities we serve by addressing whole-person health care needs, such as access to nutritious food and promoting long-term sustainability by integrating food access with healthcare services.
Learn more about Coordinated Care's commitment to the health of Washingtonians at CoordinatedCareHealth.com/WA-first.
About Coordinated Care
Coordinated Care provides free and low-cost health insurance coverage to more than 300,000 Medicaid, foster care, Medicare and Marketplace members across Washington, with more than 47,000 providers in-network. Coordinated Care is committed to transforming the health of the community one person at a time. They treat the whole person by breaking down barriers to accessing care, walking members through their benefits, and connecting them to the care they need. Coordinated Care is a Washington managed care organization and wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, a leading healthcare enterprise committed to helping people live healthier lives. To learn more about our efforts in Healthcare Workforce Development, visit www.CoordinatedCareHealth.com/WA-first.
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SOURCE Coordinated Care