Supporting Equitable Partnerships: Yale School of Public Health Community Comes Together to Benefit Local Agencies
The Yale School of Public Health community came together once again this year to support local agencies through their annual Winter Celebration gift basket raffle. The event, which saw faculty members, students, and staff purchasing raffle tickets for a chance to win a holiday gift basket, raised funds to benefit Witnesses to Hunger New Haven and Project Access New Haven (PANH).
Susan Nappi, MPH, executive director of the school’s Office of Public Health Practice, and Jason Martinez, MS, director of the Community Impact Lab, spearheaded the initiative to support Witnesses to Hunger, a grassroots organization dedicated to raising awareness and finding solutions to food insecurity in the New Haven community. This year marked the third year that the school community came together to contribute to the Winter Celebration gift basket raffle, with proceeds benefiting both Witnesses to Hunger and PANH.
The funds raised from the raffle will have a direct impact on Witnesses to Hunger’s operations, specifically supporting their School Break Groceries program. This initiative, which started in the Spring of 2022, aims to provide groceries to New Haven Public School students and their families during school breaks when free and reduced meals are not available. The program plays a crucial role in addressing food insecurity in the city, with over 1,200 bags of groceries distributed during each school break.
Last year, funds raised from the raffle supported PANH by providing gift cards and a cash donation to individuals in need. The gift cards helped support individuals with various needs, including financial, food, housing, transportation, and utility needs. The cash donation was used to purchase essential medical equipment for patients in the community.
The partnership between the Yale School of Public Health and Witnesses to Hunger and PANH runs deep, with collaborations spanning various initiatives and research projects. Witnesses to Hunger has been a key partner in the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE), providing expertise and lived experience to enhance food assistance programs and policy development in New Haven. PANH has also collaborated on research studies focusing on hypertension screening and diabetes prevention, as well as providing support for addressing social determinants of health.
The Winter Celebration gift basket raffle not only raises funds for important community agencies but also embodies the school’s commitment to fostering interconnected, inclusive, interdisciplinary public health communities within and beyond Yale. The event serves as a tangible example of the school’s vision statement, “Linking science and society, making public health foundational to thriving communities everywhere.” Through these collaborative efforts, the Yale School of Public Health continues to make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of the New Haven community.