Feeding Families Foundation Announces the Launch of its Parent Plate Program at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital

This Announcement Commemorates the Foundation's Expansion Outside of Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, Conn., July 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Feeding Families Foundation , a nonprofit working to eliminate hospital food insecurity for the parents of hospitalized children suffering from critical illnesses, is proud to announce the expansion of its Parent Plate Program to OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital ("OHSU") in Portland, Oregon. Formally launched at OHSU in February, the program has already provided 1774 free meals to caregivers on the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant unit, serving an average of 51 families each month.

Feeding Families Foundation (and its Parent Plate Program) was started to address food security issues in children's hospitals – an issue the founders experienced first-hand when one of their daughters was treated for leukemia. Based in Connecticut and serving families at Yale Children's Hospital and Connecticut Children's Hospital, the Parent Plate Program delivers meals directly to the parents staying with their child in the hospital, helping reduce the financial burden on caregivers and ensuring that they can stay at the bedside without interruption.

"Feeding Families Foundation's mission is simple: to nourish the parents caring for their critically ill child in the hospital so they can focus on what matters most – their child," said Feeding Families Foundation Co-Founder and Chair, Jeff Dorman. "Today, we are proud to announce that mission now reaches across the country, because hospital food insecurity is not just local—it's national. And so is our mission."

Families and hospital staff at OHSU Doernbecher are already feeling the impact.

"I worked with a family who was here admitted with their child for months," shared Laurel Barnes, an OHSU Social Worker. "When Feeding Families became available, I set them up with this new resource. Having access to food in the hospital cut down on their expenses and generally reduced their stress. They couldn't have been more grateful for this small, but meaningful gesture of support in the middle of the most stressful time of their lives."

A parent of an oncology patient echoed that sentiment: "It's been amazing! Especially because we are in quarantine, it's so helpful. It makes it so easy to order food."

Even those behind the scenes feel the difference. A member of OHSU's Food & Nutrition call center team shared, "I helped with calls Sunday and for sure can tell how happy and appreciative parents have been! One parent thanked me for helping them pick out their meal and making sure they had everything they needed. He said how great everyone is and how much he appreciated the help with paying for food. This was his first time not having to worry about it. He said something like, 'It's such a small blessing, but it feels like a big blessing! '"

By delivering comfort and nutrition during life's most difficult moments, Feeding Families Foundation 's Parent Plate Program continues to build a powerful, nationwide impact—one meal, one family, one hospital at a time.

For more information about Feeding Families Foundation or to support the Parent Plate Program, visit www.feedingfamiliesfoundation.org .

Media Contact: [email protected], 203.208.8543

About Feeding Families Foundation
Feeding Families Foundation, Inc. is a Connecticut-based nonprofit working to eliminate food insecurity for parents of hospitalized children. Through its flagship Parent Plate Program, the foundation covers the cost of meals for caregivers and delivers them directly to the hospital room—so parents can stay at their child's bedside without worrying about food or leaving their child alone. There are no applications or eligibility requirements. By partnering with children's hospitals and using their existing food service systems, the foundation ensures that when a child receives a meal, their caregiver can too.For more information, visit feedingfamiliesfoundation.org.

SOURCE Feeding Families Foundation