God’s Love We Deliver

People experiencing food insecurity often face poorer diet quality, higher rates of diet-related illnesses, and greater health care costs. Research shows that medically supportive food and nutrition services—known as Food Is Medicine (FIM)—can reduce the severity of these problems. Veterans generally experience worse health outcomes and higher rates of food insecurity compared to civilians. A recent veterans’ needs assessment commissioned by NYHealth found that one-quarter of veterans in New York experienced food insecurity in the past year. Yet, few FIM models have been tailored to meet the specific needs of veterans. In 2022, NYHealth awarded God’s Love We Deliver a grant to develop and launch a FIM pilot to serve veterans, with a focus on veterans with behavioral health diagnoses. God’s Love developed an enhanced menu optimized for mental health, expanded community outreach, and trained staff to deliver trauma-informed, culturally competent care to veterans. In 2024, NYHealth awarded God’s Love We Deliver a grant to expand its Phase 1 pilot to improve the health and food security of veterans. 

Under this grant, God’s Love will double program enrollment to 1,250 veterans and 250 caregivers and children. To identify and enroll veterans, it will continue and expand referral partnerships with Veterans Affairs hospitals and veteran-serving health care and community-based organizations in New York City. Veterans will receive weekly deliveries of 10–21 meals; nutrition therapy through individualized counseling; and social supports. God’s Love will also collect, analyze, and share qualitative and clinical outcome data to make the case for expanded FIM programs for veterans, with the ultimate goal of securing Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare reimbursement for FIM services.  

NYHealth is also supporting a complementary initiative with the Maxwell X Lab at Syracuse University.