Buffalo Center for Health Equity receives $15,000 through Better Together

Through the Better Together collaborative fundraising initiative, the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the Buffalo Sabres Foundation are supporting five local Black-led organizations that are dedicated to addressing food equity.
From building gardens for families to growing their own vegetables to creating a grocery store in a food desert, these organizations help provide healthy, affordable food for Western New Yorkers.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Buffalo Bills and the Buffalo Sabres Foundations encourage fans to be "Better Together" and join us in supporting these incredible organizations to help irradicate race-based disparities and help improve the overall health for members of our community.
Fans are encouraged to donate to Better Together through February 4 at BetterTogetherBuffalo.org.
Perry's Ice Cream will match the first $20,000 in online donations from funds that were accrued through the sale of their "Let's Dough Buffalo" ice cream.
Today, the Buffalo Sabres Foundation is proud to announce a $15,000 donation to the Buffalo Center for Health Equity.

The Buffalo Center for Health Equity focuses on eliminating race, economic, and geographical-based health inequalities that impede our community.
The organization's mission is to provide a helping hand to African-American citizens mainly on the East Side of Buffalo, who suffer from educational issues, high unemployment, low property values, and an absence of grocery stores.
Rita Hubbard-Robinson, group consultant and treasurer on the organization's board, has been with the center since it was founded in 2014. She has seen the impact it has had on Buffalonians from all walks of life first-hand.
"You just don't know someone's story," Hubbard-Robinson said. "A lot of these people are very overwhelmed. Just being able to help in any way we can is the most rewarding part."
The center has given members of the community access to healthy foods throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been unattainable for many living in the city due to rising food costs.
"We intend to use these dollars to increase access to healthy foods for our friends and neighbors in the community," Hubbard-Robinson said. "We collaborate to plan events, programs and activities with the other four programs that are being supported by this effort, and it will go a long way."

The organization has teamed up with the University at Buffalo Community Health Equity Research Institute to help grow, study, and examine different solutions to remove any health inequalities in our region.
"Understanding that a zip code defines your overall health because you lack access to basic human necessities, but also providing opportunities to reach those will ultimately lead to a healthier community," she said.
Hubbard-Robinson's goal with the organization is to lend a hand to those in need by fully understanding what is happening in our community.
"What we do is not as simple as doing something transactional, but doing something truly transformational," she said.