Black History and the Fight to End Hunger

When a person is first diagnosed with cancer, Ashleigh Tyson, a Nutrition Coordinator with the SECU Comprehensive Cancer Center at CarolinaEast Medical Center, said it creates “financial toxicity.” According to the National Cancer Institute, that can impact a patient’s quality of life and access to medical care.  

“They have tons of bills that they’re flooded with, and so I thought what could be a way that we could help ease that burden for our cancer patients."

For many patients, they were already experiencing financial difficulties before receiving their diagnosis. Cancer makes that financial burden even worse. 

To alleviate this stress, SECU launched a food distribution site in May 2021 as a grant-funded program that has since grown into a partnership with the Food Bank.  

Each month, they serve about 30 patients, providing several food items along with recipes for delicious, healthy meals. 

“Helping other people is really where it’s at, and I think that here they see where they can benefit from the program,” Tyson added.  

And the patients agree. Our team spoke with patients who said this distribution means a lot to them. 

“What you can allot for yourself on a fixed income doesn’t seem to buy as much as it used to, and this helps out big time,” one patient said. 

Some even added that it has introduced them to healthier eating habits.  

“That’s been the best, because I wasn’t really eating very healthy,” another patient said.  

Up to 30 patients can sign up at a time to receive food distributions, but Tyson shared that the center has seen a growing demand from more patients.  

“We actually a lot of times have a waitlist at this point because the need is even greater with inflation over the past few years."

Overall, she hopes to continue providing patients with nourishment and give them the opportunity to explore new foods.  

I think food is medicine, and this is all very impactful for everyone.

– Ashleigh Tyson Clinical Dietitian at Carolina East Medical Center