Laura M. Plencner, MD, FAAP
Co-Director, Pediatric Resident Advocacy Education, GME; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyMolly K Krager, MD, FAAP
Co-Director, Pediatric Resident Advocacy Education, GME; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Full BiographyLaura Plencner, MD, Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine, and Molly Krager, MD, Pediatrics and Hospital Medicine, and co-chairs of the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Hunger Free Hospital Council received a 1-year $25,000 No Kid Hungry Early Childhood Nutrition Grant from No Kid Hungry, an organization that works to end child hunger in America today by ensuring that all children get the healthy food they need every day to thrive. Additional collaborators on the grant and programs supported include Desiree Long, MA, Melissa Smith, APRN, Shelly Summar, RD, Veronica Vidal Garcia, Patricia Marein, and Jeffrey Colvin, MD.
This is a programmatic award for their No Kid Hungry Early Childhood 2022 initiative.
The grant funds will support broadening the reach of the healthcare-based food pantry system at Children’s Mercy Kansas City and expansion of the Fruit and Veggie Connect program. The food pantry at the Center for Family and Community Connections at the Children’s Mercy Kansas City Broadway location will continue to serve shelf stable food and, through innovative partnership with Kanbe’s Market, will start offering fresh produce. Also, a new food pantry location in the Children’s Mercy Emergency Department will be piloted.
The Fruit and Veggie Connect program, a produce delivery program piloted in 2021 that connects the Children’s Mercy community garden to parents enrolled in home visiting programs through Parents as Teachers or Children’s Mercy Health Families Program, is currently in phase two of the pilot and is being scaled to serve more families.
“The Hunger Free Hospital Council is excited to announce this award from No Kid Hungry to broaden the food security initiatives at Children’s Mercy. We know that consistent access to healthy food is a key component of the health of our patients and their families. We are excited to use this support to bring healthy fruits and vegetables to more families in need and to pilot a program to reach vulnerable children in the Emergency Department. Thank you so much to the team that worked on this proposal together and to the Hunger Free Hospital Council members, without whom these initiatives would not be possible,” said Dr. Plencner.
If you are interested in learning more or supporting the Children’s Mercy Community Garden, contact communitygarden@cmh.edu or visit the Community Garden's webpage!