ARH Director of External Affairs Nika Larian recently appeared on the God’s Pantry Telethon for Hunger Action Month to present a $100,000 matching donation on behalf of ARH.

The donation was part of ARH’s $200,000 sponsorship of the God’s Pantry Rescue Program. When launched, the program will help collect excess food for distribution to those in need.

Larian said the sponsorship will provide two Prestonsburg and London-based ARH and God’s Pantry co-branded vans. They will travel to area retailers, collecting excess food for distribution in eastern Kentucky.

“We produce enough food to feed every person who is hungry, yet more than 700 million people go to bed hungry every day,” Larian said, explaining that between 30% and 40% of all food produced in the United States goes to waste.

“So, close to 1 billion meals end up in a landfill every day.”

Food rescue, Larian said, is an underutilized solution that can help minimize that waste while feeding the hungry.

She said the program is another extension of ARH’s commitment to preventative health care.

“We have nine food pantries on-site at our hospitals,” she said. “So, if a patient screens as food insecure, they get a shelf-life stable box of food that will get them through the next 3 to 4 days, along with a menu card made by a registered dietician so they know how to prepare the food.

“ARH sees the need and we are dedicated to meeting people where they are.”

Larian said she looks forward to watching as the program helps better the lives of of eastern Kentucky residents.

“It’s fantastic that God’s Pantry is creating the infrastructure to do this here in eastern Kentucky,” she said. “This program has a lot of potential, and we’re excited to see where it goes.”