Root Causes and Duke Hotspotting Covid Response

We need your help! The Root Causes Fresh Produce Program and the Duke Hotspotting Initiative are partnering together to raise money to provide vulnerable Duke Outpatient Clinic patients with care packages including fresh produce and essential hard-to-find household items as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Root Causes works closely with our amazing community partners to package and deliver locally-sourced produce and shelf stable items to food insecure Duke Health patients. Our patients are referred to us by providers at the Duke Outpatient Clinic and Duke Healthy Lifestyles Clinic. Many of these patients have multiple chronic health conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to unstable food access. Over the last 2 weeks, the Root Causes Fresh Produce Program has been able to deliver nutritious food to 85 patients and their families, totaling over 1000 pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, and shelf-stable foods. 

The Duke Hotspotting serves similar patients at the Duke Outpatient Clinic throughout the year, pairing medical students with patients to form long-term relationships to improve health access and chronic health management. We are bringing our programs together to better serve our patients during this challenging time by delivering food and care packages of essential items to over 100 patients in need. These packages offer fresh produce and hard-to-find items including liquid hand sanitizer, soap for hand washing, all-purpose cleaning spray, toilet or paper towels and reusable face masks to our patients in need. 

Please consider donating to support our community here in Durham during these challenging times, all contributions are sincerely appreciated!