CareFirst Addresses Social Drivers of Health with CFG Bank Arena Partnership
BALTIMORE – CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst), one of the country's largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations, is proud to announce a new food donation program to help fight food insecurity for Baltimore residents as an extension of their partnership with CFG Bank Arena. CareFirst and CFG Bank Arena will work with the Atlanta-based, minority-owned business Goodr to manage food donation logistics using the company’s Surplus Food Recovery solution.
CareFirst is a presenting partner of the renovated downtown Baltimore arena, which was designed to be more than just a concert and entertainment property, but also a catalyst of cultural and economic development in the downtown corridor.
“Making a difference in community health lies at the heart of CareFirst’s mission; therefore, we are working with partners like CFG Bank Arena to drive impact,” said Mack McGee, Chief Marketing Officer for CareFirst. “CareFirst has a longstanding history of creating partnerships; however, to further align with our mission, we’ve focused these relationships with programming tailored towards giving back to the communities we mutually serve. Our partnership with CFG Bank Arena supports the impact required to help drive the transformation of a historic corner of Baltimore to deliver a world-class point of destination and empowers the development of innovative and sustainable solutions to address food insecurity within the community.”
To eliminate barriers to health equity and address the significant but too-often ignored social drivers of health (SDOH), CareFirst creates partnerships to deepen relationships and improve health outcomes in the community.
“We recognize the incredible power that music and live events have in uniting a community,” Frank Remesch, General Manager of CFG Bank Arena, said. “When we conceptualized CFG Bank Arena, it was important to us to create a space that also nurtures and supports the community around it. Thanks to strong partners, like CareFirst, we’re able to achieve this.”
Founded in 2017, Goodr operates from the thought that hunger is not a scarcity issue, but a matter of logistics. CareFirst is focused on creating healthy food options for guests at a reasonable price and improving food conservation. Through this new program, quality, unused food post-events will be delivered to area nonprofit organizations, food banks and schools.
“The service these organizations were seeking out is exactly why we created Goodr, to be a resource to address food insecurity and deliver food to communities who need it most," said Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Founder and CEO of Goodr. "We're excited about the impact this partnership with CareFirst and CFG Bank Arena will have on the Baltimore community."
McGee added, “with our closely aligned missions, CareFirst is excited to work with Goodr in support of this critical community need.”
Last month, Goodr facilitated the first of these food deliveries to My Sister’s Place Women’s Center and Tuerk House, totaling more than 500 pounds in food delivered. It is expected that this program will donate an average of 400 pounds of food per month to even more local organizations like the DreamBig Foundation, U Empower of Maryland, City of Refuge and more.
About CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
In its 86th year of service, CareFirst, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit healthcare company which, through its affiliates and subsidiaries, offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products and administrative services to 3.5 million individuals in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. In 2023, CareFirst infused $233 million in support of regional community impact to improve overall health and advance accessible, affordable, equitable, high-quality healthcare. To learn more about CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, visit www.carefirst.com.
About CFG Bank Arena
CFG Bank Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in the heart of downtown Baltimore. The Arena first opened in 1962, when it was known as the Baltimore Civic Center. Located at 201 W. Baltimore Street, the Arena has recently been transformed into a world-class facility by Oak View Group, now hosting world-class concerts, family shows, sporting events and more. The venue celebrated its grand opening weekend on April 7 & 8, 2023 with sold-out performances by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band and the Eagles. In its first year, the Arena has hosted more than 124 events, including 38 sell-outs and welcomed over 828,870 fans. The $250+ million world-class modern Arena accommodates 14,000 guests and serves as a key anchor on downtown Baltimore’s west side, helping to drive further investment and development in the area. CFG Bank Arena was recently ranked #10 worldwide as the highest grossing venue (10-15K capacity) by Billboard Magazine. Visit www.cfgbankarena.com, and follow CFG Bank Arena on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
About Goodr
Founded in 2017, Goodr is a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company that leverages technology and logistics to fight food waste and hunger. Goodr, a certified B-Corp, is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity – it's a matter of logistics. Goodr offers a variety of Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions, which include Surplus Food Recovery, Pop-Up Grocery Markets, and Goodr Grocery Stores. Headquartered in Atlanta, Goodr operates nationwide with clients in industries ranging from food service and hospitality to sports teams, universities, celebrities, government, and more. As of 2024, Goodr has served nearly 32 million meals to those in need and redirected more than 28 million pounds of food and organic material away from landfills. For more information on Goodr, visit www.goodr.co or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, @goodrco.