Highmark Launches Year 2 of (un)Hungry Campaign
The insurer's holiday food insecurity initiative expands partnerships with food banks and community programs across its footprint.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Healthy Food
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Highmark, the nation's largest nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer, has launched year two of its '(un)Hungry' campaign addressing food insecurity during the holiday season. The initiative builds on a first year that included partnerships with 15 food banks.
Why it matters
More than 3 million people across New York experience food insecurity, according to Feeding America, and food insecurity is linked to poor health outcomes, higher rates of chronic disease and increased health care costs. The campaign targets those connections as part of a broader community health effort.
Highmark's first-year campaign partnered with 15 food banks, and 50 million Americans visited food banks and pantries in 2023, according to figures cited in the announcement. The announcement does not disclose funding totals or the number of meals delivered to date.
The players
Highmark
Highmark is the nation's largest nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer, serving more than 8 million people across its region.
Feeding America
Feeding America is a national nonprofit network of food banks that publishes food insecurity research and statistics.
The details
Highmark promotes the campaign through owned and social media channels and directs the public to unhungry.org. Related efforts include 'Fresh Start for Health,' which provides fresh, nutritious foods to frontline Kaleida Health employees living in Buffalo, and 'Victory Table,' which delivers free nutritious foods and nutrition education to communities across Western New York.
Timeline
2023: More than 50 million Americans visited food banks and pantries for help.
Holiday season 2025: Highmark introduced the first year of the (un)Hungry campaign.
Holiday season 2026: Year two of the campaign runs.
Health Landscape
Insurers are increasingly treating food insecurity as a health issue, and Highmark's (un)Hungry campaign follows that approach by pairing food bank support with health screenings. The model links nutrition access to the chronic disease and health care cost concerns that Feeding America's New York data highlights.
Readers can support local food banks through the (un)Hungry campaign or donate to participating organizations. Households facing food insecurity may be able to access free nutritious foods through community programs like Victory Table in Western New York.
The takeaway
Food access is a health issue as well as a household budget issue, and community programs that pair meals with nutrition education can address both. Checking local food bank options is a practical first step for anyone affected.
Further reading
Explore more on Healthy Food to see how food access connects to everyday nutrition choices.
More information
Learn more about the (un)Hungry campaign and how to support its food bank partners.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Niagara Frontier Publications.
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