Mass General Brigham’s Commitment to Nutrition Equity Highlighted with Opening of Phoenix Food Hub in Lynn

As part of its comprehensive community health grant initiative and commitment to promote nutrition equity and security, Mass General Brigham is thrilled to join the Greater Lynn Senior Services in celebrating the grand opening of the Phoenix Food Hub in Lynn today. Mass General Brigham’s five-year, $1.85 million commitment will help provide a wide range of nutritional and service support for community members in and around the entire Lynn area.

“We are thrilled to support the creation of this crucial hub for the community of Lynn during a time when food insecurity is unfortunately on the rise. These efforts are essential to address the challenges and barriers that many people in the communities we serve are facing,” said Elsie M. Taveras, MD, MPH, Chief Community Health and Health Equity Officer at Mass General Brigham.

This program is part of a larger Mass General Brigham Community Health grant initiative. In October of 2021, Mass General Brigham announced a $50 million investment to improve the health of the communities it serves. In partnership with several community-based organizations, the initiative supports programs focused on mental healthcare capacity, workforce development, chronic disease management, and nutrition security and equity. This past September, Mass General Brigham’s commitment to addressing food insecurity was highlighted at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health by the Biden-Harris Administration.

The Phoenix Food Hub is a collaborative project of the Lynn Food Security Task Force, spearheaded by Greater Lynn Senior Services and involving many organizations across the city. The 7,300-square-foot space is a one-stop shop where individuals and families at risk of nutrition insufficiency can access a variety of resources to help them better manage their overall health and well-being. The Hub is conveniently located in the same space that houses the recently opened Lynn food pantry, operated and funded by the Boston nonprofit Catholic Charities, also a member of the Lynn Food Security Task Force.

The Phoenix Food Hub will offer access to:

• A state-of-the-art teaching kitchen with healthy cooking instructional classes
• Food distribution, an expanded home-delivered meals program, and farmers’ markets
• Nutrition screening, counseling, and education through one-on-one sessions and workshops
• A support system for transportation to markets, reading of labels for nutritional value, planning of menus, and managing of dietary requirements
• Counseling for SNAP, WIC, and other nutrition-related benefits

In addition to these nutrition services, the Hub will also provide related support on issues such as housing, mobility, stress management, financial management, and more. It will incorporate data systems that will capture both social determinant of health indicators and clinical indicators, correlating these appropriately, and clearly identifying how the Phoenix Food Hub and its programs are improving overall community health and lowering health care costs.

“We are extremely grateful to Mass General Brigham for this five-year funding commitment to the Phoenix Food Hub collaboration. We are looking forward to strengthening our capacities to effectively reach more at-risk individuals and deliver more comprehensive nutritional support,” said Kathryn C. Burns, MGH, Chief Executive Officer at Greater Lynn Senior Services.