{"id":5199,"date":"2026-07-17T13:46:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T13:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/?p=5199"},"modified":"2026-07-17T13:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T13:46:52","slug":"pilot-program-combats-food-insecurity-among-diabetic-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/pilot-program-combats-food-insecurity-among-diabetic-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilot program combats food insecurity among diabetic Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New on VA News<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Pilot program combats food insecurity among diabetic Veterans<\/h2>\n\n\n
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By Michael Brock, Public Affairs Specialist, Bay Pines VA Healthcare System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 17, 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System<\/a>, a new pilot program is taking shape to assist diabetic Veterans who are facing a growing challenge: food insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Diabetes Emergency Food Bag Pilot Program aims to provide targeted nutrition support and education to Veterans who need it most, helping them better manage their health while addressing a critical social determinant of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative was developed after recognizing a gap in targeted food support. While general food pantry resources exist, they are not tailored to Veterans managing chronic conditions like diabetes, where consistent access to appropriate foods is essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis program started from a broader goal of improving food access for Veterans who screen positive for food insecurity,\u201d said Bay Pines <\/a>VA Nutrition and Dietetics intern Julia Marie Litherland. \u201cWe initially explored redistributing excess food from hospital operations, but after encountering barriers, we pivoted to a clinic-based approach that could realistically meet their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View the full article on VA News<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Supporting diabetic Veterans facing food insecurity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":5200,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"priority":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-5199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-news","tag-food-security"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/pilot-program-combats-food-insecurity-among-diabetic-veterans\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Pilot program combats food insecurity among diabetic Veterans","url":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/pilot-program-combats-food-insecurity-among-diabetic-veterans\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/pilot-program-combats-food-insecurity-among-diabetic-veterans\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/07\/pilotprogramfood.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/department.va.gov\/homeless\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2026\/07\/pilotprogramfood.png"},"articleSection":"VA News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Shawn Liu"}],"creator":["Shawn Liu"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"VA Homeless Programs","logo":""},"keywords":["food security"],"dateCreated":"2026-07-17T13:46:52Z","datePublished":"2026-07-17T13:46:52Z","dateModified":"2026-07-17T13:46:52Z"},"rendered":"