When Food Access Meets Mental Health

Join us for a panel and networking breakfast to learn about the critical link between food access, mental health, and eating disorders.

Eating disorders are often misunderstood as conditions rooted only in body image. In reality, access to food, economic stability, and systemic inequities can significantly shape a person’s relationship with food, their risk of developing disordered eating, and their ability to access care.

Join Rock Recovery and Northern Virginia Food Rescue for a morning of learning, conversation, and connection as we explore the intersection of food access, mental health, and eating disorders. This event will bring together community stakeholders and mental health providers to better understand how barriers to food access can lead to disordered eating patterns.

The morning will begin with breakfast and networking, followed by a tour of Northern Virginia Food Rescue to learn more about the organization’s work addressing food access in our region. Participants will then hear from an expert panel featuring professionals within the food access and eating disorder spaces, as well as lived experience perspectives. Following the event, there will be an open Q&A.

Together, we'll explore how communities can work toward more equitable access to food and care, and how cross-sector partnerships can strengthen prevention, early intervention, and recovery.