How the Foodbank Is Redefining Food as Medicine

In Hampton Roads, a short drive can reveal two very different realities of health. In some neighborhoods, grocery stores overflow with fresh produce, sidewalks are safe and well-lit, and families have the time and means to prepare balanced meals. In others, convenience stores serve as the only grocery option, fast food is the cheapest choice, and the nearest park or gym feels out of reach.

This contrast is not about personal choice. It is about access, and income is the dividing line.

National research shows wealthier Americans live, on average, a decade longer than their poorer neighbors. The same is true here at home, where communities with higher poverty rates face higher levels of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Healthy options, for both food and exercise, are simply harder to find and harder to afford when money is tight.

Consider food alone. A Harvard study found that a healthy diet costs about $550 more per person, per year, than a less healthy one. For a family already stretched to cover rent and utilities, that gap is impossible to bridge. Faced with limited income, most of us would make the same choice to buy food that is cheaper, lasts longer, and requires less preparation, even if it is less nutritious.

Exercise brings the same challenges. Only half of low-income communities in the U.S. have safe parks, sidewalks, or recreation centers. Even when facilities exist, the average $600 annual cost of a gym membership puts them out of reach for many families. Add in long work hours and childcare responsibilities, and physical activity becomes a luxury instead of a routine.

This double disadvantage leads to predictable outcomes such as higher rates of chronic disease, shorter lifespans, and greater medical costs for low-income families.

But these outcomes are not inevitable. Here in Hampton Roads, promising solutions are already taking root, from urban farms and school-based nutrition programs to new investments in recreation.

At the Foodbank, we shifted our approach to prioritize healthier options. Over the past three years, we have delivered more than 70 million pounds of food, including a 58% increase in fresh produce that now totals nearly 8 million pounds annually. That is 2.4 million additional produce-based meals for our community every year.

We have also partnered with our region’s largest healthcare provider to invest in food as medicine. Together, we opened a clinic and food hub in the Berkeley community, connecting patients with chronic disease to their first prescription of healthy food.

These are dramatic shifts and meaningful accomplishments. Yet they are still not enough.

If we truly want to “Make America Healthy Again,” we must begin where access and affordability are most limited. As a wise coach once told me, “We have to fish where the fish are.” That means investing in affordable access to healthy food, ensuring safe spaces for exercise in every community, and expanding our health safety net to include the most powerful medicine of all: nutritious food.

Our goal must be a future where the life expectancy of a child in Hampton Roads is determined not by their parents’ income or zip code, but by their own choices. And healthy choices are only possible when healthy options are within reach.

Author Bio

Christopher Tan has served as President and CEO of the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore since 2022, leading the organization through record food distribution and a bold shift toward healthier food access. His leadership has driven major growth, including the opening of the Western Tidewater Branch, the relaunch of the 757 Mobile Market, expansion of Retail Rescue, and launch of Izzie’s Field. He has strengthened public food programs, increased mobile pantry access on the Eastern Shore, and reimagined food access through initiatives like The Free Market and The Community Feed. These advances, supported by strong financial growth, reflect not only his focus on impact but also his belief in building a culture rooted in personal connection. Previously CEO of Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia, Chris holds degrees from Randolph-Macon College and Old Dominion University. He and his wife, Beth, live in Virginia Beach with their four children.

Contact Information

Mallory Reckling
Director of Communications and Strategy
Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore
800 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23504
(757) 314-4575 direct | (757) 621-6257 cell
mreckling@foodbankonline.org