No patient or family facing cancer should ever have to worry about putting food on their table, yet an increasing number are forced to choose between essential household needs such as groceries and the cost of cancer treatment.
Food prices have jumped by nearly 30% overall since 2020, according to NPR, and a greater share of Americans have become more “food insecure,” as per a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For cancer patients, those reporting food insecurity ranges from 17%-55%, according to a 2024 article by the Oncology Nursing Society. Many families are dipping into savings to cover expenses, struggling to access food, having kids who miss meals, or receiving food donations or federal nutrition assistance.
For families already struggling to pay for cancer treatment, the high cost of groceries can force unthinkable choices.
One-third of adults abandon their own cancer treatment due to financial hardship. When it becomes a choice between affording groceries for their family and continuing treatment, many adult patients choose their family’s well-being over their own. Food is the priority, and cancer treatment must take a backseat.
For cancer patients, not being able to afford the food their body needs to heal is not only detrimental to the success of the treatment, but also truly discouraging to someone fighting for their life. Many realize that maintaining a healthy diet during cancer treatment can help improve symptoms and avoid complications, yet they cannot justify the cost of fresh produce, protein shakes or organic food.
According the Oncology Nursing Society, “nutritional status is closely linked to cancer treatment outcomes as well as the prevalence and tolerance of side effects. Oncology nurses often educate patients about proper nutrition throughout their cancer journey, but adherence requires patients to have access to nutritious food.”
“During cancer treatment, protein and calorie needs are often higher, and dietary advice must be tailored to focus on symptom management, like decreased appetite, taste changes, and nausea,” said Mariah K. Jackson, PhD, RDN, LMNT and assistant professor of the medical nutrition program in the department of medical sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“Combining nutritional vulnerabilities with food insecurity creates an even higher risk for malnutrition,” said Jackson. “Food insecurity is also associated with lower treatment adherence, because patients who are food insecure are more likely to forgo, delay, or make treatment changes than food-secure survivors.”
Additionally, food insecurity can be a significant driver of cancer distress, which can lead to increased use of outpatient and emergency department care, greater difficulty in decision making, and poorer quality of life, according to a 2023 study published in Gynecologic Oncology.
At New Day, we frequently support cancer patients facing food insecurity when they can no longer afford the specialized nutrition required for healing. As an example, we recently provided months of protein shakes and groceries to a patient who, due to treatment side effects and an inability to work, could not afford these essential items for herself and her family.
Partnerships Help Provide Solutions
Nonprofit partnerships with health systems, grocery chains and other nonprofits are part of the solution for addressing food insecurity within the cancer community. These partnerships allow nonprofit dollars to go further and help more people.
New Day’s partnership with Corewell Health provides critical support to patients throughout their cancer journey, beginning with Corewell’s medical care and continuing with New Day’s support services during treatment. Through their support of our grocery program, Corewell Health is helping families facing cancer to access healthy food when finances are stretched during treatment.
Our partnership with The Kroger Co. also helps us to provide grocery gift cards to Michigan families facing cancer. Additionally, we work with nonprofits like The Dre Project in metro Detroit and Revive & Thrive in Grand Rapids, which enlist volunteers to create and deliver fresh meals to cancer patients.
To help address the problem of food insecurity for those fighting cancer in your community, consider ways that you may be able to contribute:
At New Day, we recognize that food insecurity is a major obstacle to cancer treatment. We are committed to helping patients and families access the food that they need to maintain a healthy diet and stay on treatment.
No patient or family facing cancer should ever have to worry about putting food on their table, yet an increasing number are forced to choose between essential household needs such as groceries and the cost of cancer treatment.
Food prices have jumped by nearly 30% overall since 2020, according to NPR, and a greater share of Americans have become more “food insecure,” as per a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For cancer patients, those reporting food insecurity ranges from 17%-55%, according to a 2024 article by the Oncology Nursing Society. Many families are dipping into savings to cover expenses, struggling to access food, having kids who miss meals, or receiving food donations or federal nutrition assistance.
For families already struggling to pay for cancer treatment, the high cost of groceries can force unthinkable choices.
One-third of adults abandon their own cancer treatment due to financial hardship. When it becomes a choice between affording groceries for their family and continuing treatment, many adult patients choose their family’s well-being over their own. Food is the priority, and cancer treatment must take a backseat.
For cancer patients, not being able to afford the food their body needs to heal is not only detrimental to the success of the treatment, but also truly discouraging to someone fighting for their life. Many realize that maintaining a healthy diet during cancer treatment can help improve symptoms and avoid complications, yet they cannot justify the cost of fresh produce, protein shakes or organic food.
According the Oncology Nursing Society, “nutritional status is closely linked to cancer treatment outcomes as well as the prevalence and tolerance of side effects. Oncology nurses often educate patients about proper nutrition throughout their cancer journey, but adherence requires patients to have access to nutritious food.”
“During cancer treatment, protein and calorie needs are often higher, and dietary advice must be tailored to focus on symptom management, like decreased appetite, taste changes, and nausea,” said Mariah K. Jackson, PhD, RDN, LMNT and assistant professor of the medical nutrition program in the department of medical sciences at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
“Combining nutritional vulnerabilities with food insecurity creates an even higher risk for malnutrition,” said Jackson. “Food insecurity is also associated with lower treatment adherence, because patients who are food insecure are more likely to forgo, delay, or make treatment changes than food-secure survivors.”
Additionally, food insecurity can be a significant driver of cancer distress, which can lead to increased use of outpatient and emergency department care, greater difficulty in decision making, and poorer quality of life, according to a 2023 study published in Gynecologic Oncology.
At New Day, we frequently support cancer patients facing food insecurity when they can no longer afford the specialized nutrition required for healing. As an example, we recently provided months of protein shakes and groceries to a patient who, due to treatment side effects and an inability to work, could not afford these essential items for herself and her family.
Partnerships Help Provide Solutions
Nonprofit partnerships with health systems, grocery chains and other nonprofits are part of the solution for addressing food insecurity within the cancer community. These partnerships allow nonprofit dollars to go further and help more people.
New Day’s partnership with Corewell Health provides critical support to patients throughout their cancer journey, beginning with Corewell’s medical care and continuing with New Day’s support services during treatment. Through their support of our grocery program, Corewell Health is helping families facing cancer to access healthy food when finances are stretched during treatment.
Our partnership with The Kroger Co. also helps us to provide grocery gift cards to Michigan families facing cancer. Additionally, we work with nonprofits like The Dre Project in metro Detroit and Revive & Thrive in Grand Rapids, which enlist volunteers to create and deliver fresh meals to cancer patients.
To help address the problem of food insecurity for those fighting cancer in your community, consider ways that you may be able to contribute:
At New Day, we recognize that food insecurity is a major obstacle to cancer treatment. We are committed to helping patients and families access the food that they need to maintain a healthy diet and stay on treatment.