Methodist Healthcare announced today that the HCA Healthcare Foundation has awarded a $25,000 grant to Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio to sustain and grow its Culinary Health Education for Families (CHEF)) program. The grant was awarded as part of the foundation’s new Health Equity Catalyst Grant Program. This year, the grants were given to nonprofits addressing food insecurity and providing access to healthy foods across the country.
“Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio is a perfect partner for us,“ said Palmira Arellano, Vice President of Community Engagement for Methodist Healthcare. “They are addressing health inequity at the grassroots level and their broad-based approach goes beyond the kitchen table, inspiring healthy choices and impacting family lifestyles. Together, we can make a difference for San Antonio families.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio work to inspire youth, especially those who need it most, to achieve their full potential in a safe, positive, and engaging environment that promotes education, health, and character development. The CHEF program is aimed at beating diabetes, hypertension, and obesity in local, low-income neighborhoods. The program teaches students about what’s in their food and how to make simple, healthy recipes. The CHEF program also gets students excited about being in the kitchen learning basic culinary skills.
“We are grateful for our partnership with HCA Foundation that supports BGCSA’s ability to sustain and grow our CHEF teaching program—a program within our larger Healthy Lifestyles curricula that supports BGCSA’s work toward eradicating the barriers that cause inequitable access to health, healthcare, and healthy lifestyles in Club members’ lives,” shares Ada Saenz, CEO of BGCSA.
Launched in August 2023, the Health Equity Catalyst Grant Program provides one-time operating grants to support organizations and collaboratives addressing health inequities in a defined focus area in order to advance or accelerate efforts to:
• Provide culturally and structurally competent services,
• Advance high-impact health equity programming,
• Support collaborative health equity efforts, and/or
• Address root causes of health inequities.