Feeding Matters recently received a generous grant from the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation to transform early identification in Arizona and enhance world-wide awareness for pediatric feeding disorder (PFD). For a child with PFD, every meal becomes a source of anxiety and frustration. For families of children with PFD, parents feel like failures, isolated with their mental and financial health suffering with each bite they try to get their child to take.

This transformative grant will fuel a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan designed to revolutionize outreach and awareness for children with PFD, significantly enhancing early intervention (EI) and access to care. Leveraging existing partnerships in Arizona, the project will focus on collaborative intervention efforts, systemic initiatives, the launch of innovative awareness tools and the identification and elimination of barriers hindering children with PFD.

Families seeking specialized care for their children with PFD often confront extended wait times, resulting in delayed intervention and adverse health outcomes. With challenges in qualified team members and a lack of a PFD screening process, Arizona’s Early Intervention (EI) system faces hurdles in providing timely and effective care. The work this grant will allow aims to bridge these critical gaps by undertaking a comprehensive outreach and partnership strategy. This includes a focus on serving traditionally underserved communities, such as LatinX communities, low-income areas, and indigenous communities that often have challenges accessing feeding intervention.

Activities that this grant will enable:

• Arizona outreach and system advancements: Conduct targeted outreach to support early identification and resources for families.
• Launch several initiatives aimed to enhance early identification and increased access to services inclusive of strategic partnership, medical school partnership, an established screening process and quality assessment framework, and a family waitlist program.
• Awareness campaigns and educational tools: Launch the “It’s Not Picky Eating Campaign” leveraging social media, high-quality videos, and blog content. Develop infographics, a patient journey map, and a PFD documentary to increase public understanding.
• Publications and Resources: Revise the Family Guide with comprehensive and up-to-date information on PFD. Publish a book explaining PFD and allowing children with PFD to feel represented, seen, and included.

This support marks a watershed moment for Feeding Matters, with the potential to revolutionize the landscape of early identification and assessment not only in Arizona but globally. With an anticipated 30,000 individuals served in the first year and a commitment to exponentially grow its impact through targeted outreach, the project is not just about immediate change but represents a seismic shift in the landscape of early identification and assessment practices.

“The generous support from The Diane and Bruce Halle Foundation is a pivotal milestone in our ongoing mission at Feeding Matters. Through this transformative grant, we are strategically advancing our commitment to making pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) a household name by 2026. This game-changing project not only sets a new standard for early identification and intervention but propels us significantly closer to achieving our goal of widespread awareness. As we embark on this journey, these projects empower us to create a lasting impact, touching the lives of thousands of individuals and fostering a legacy of awareness and support that will resonate for years to come,” shared Jaclyn Pederson, CEO of Feeding Matters.

About Feeding Matters
For kids with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD), every bite of food can be painful, scary, or simply impossible to swallow, potentially impeding nutrition, development, growth, and overall well-being. Yet, there is no functional system of care for PFD locally, nationally, or internationally. That’s why Feeding Matters is dedicated to creating a world where children with pediatric feeding disorder will thrive. Established in 2006, Feeding Matters is the first organization in the world uniting the concerns of families with the field’s leading advocates, experts, and allied healthcare professionals to ignite unprecedented change to the system of care through advocacy, education, support, and research – including a stand-alone diagnosis, the International Pediatric Feeding Disorder Conference, and the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire. In 2021, Feeding Matters reached nearly 200,000 individuals in 50 states and 143 countries through their programs and website. To learn more about pediatric feeding disorder, visit feedingmatters.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube at @FeedingMatters.

About The Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation
In 2002, Bruce and Diane Halle founded the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation to extend that sense of caring to the larger community. The Halle Foundation now serves as a statewide leader in providing philanthropic resources for organizations working in the fields of human services, health & medical, education, arts & culture, and spirituality. The Halle Foundation identifies and funds outstanding nonprofits to ensure that all people can build healthy, productive, and inspiring lives.