NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 8, 2025--
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New York today announced a donation of more than $60,000 to help fund more than 32 food distribution events in partnership with The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH) and Food Bank for New York City. The initiative will provide an added lifeline to families struggling to make ends meet, especially during the holiday season when budgets are stretched and demand for food assistance rises. The distributions run through December 23 and will be held at Anthem Community Service Centers in the five boroughs and select churches in Suffolk and Westchester counties.
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“Anthem’s investment helps us do more than distribute food. It helps us advance food equity for New Yorkers who are too often overlooked,” said Dr. Melony Samuels, founder and CEO, The Campaign Against Hunger. “By ensuring families have access to fresh, nutritious foods, especially during the holidays, this partnership strengthens our communities and reinforces the belief that everyone deserves a fair chance at a healthy, dignified life.”
Rising grocery costs and ongoing strain on community food providers have made it harder for families to access nutritious food on a consistent basis. Food banks and pantries across the region have reported increased demand, even as they work to overcome shortages and keep their operations running strong. Anthem’s latest investment is designed to help bridge that gap by expanding access to healthy food where members live, work, and gather.
At each food distribution event, 200 bags of fresh produce and non-perishable foods will be provided, offering thousands of New Yorkers a much-needed resource during a time of year that can be especially difficult for households already facing tight budgets.
The initiative supports food distribution efforts including TCAH’s innovative Fresh Vibes Market concept, which brings a welcoming, market-style experience to food access and nutrition education. At Fresh Vibes Market locations, community members can select from a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and other staples, while also learning about healthy eating and preparing nutritious meals on a budget.
“For nearly a decade, Anthem has been proud to stand alongside The Campaign Against Hunger in the effort to expand access to nutritious food for New Yorkers,” said Dr. Mark Levy, President and CEO, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Medicaid in NY. “We know that food is deeply connected to health, and this partnership helps bring the ‘Food as Medicine’ idea to life by making healthier foods more accessible in the very communities we serve. During the holidays and beyond, these efforts help families eat better, feel better, and live healthier lives.”
Over the course of its partnership with The Campaign Against Hunger, Anthem has supported a variety of food access and nutrition initiatives that deliver meaningful impact for families across New York. The upcoming series of distribution events is part of Anthem’s broader commitment to addressing social drivers of health. By partnering with trusted community organizations like TCAH and Food Bank for New York City, Anthem aims to help relieve some of the pressure families feel at the grocery store, while supporting healthier communities for the long term.
All events are free and open to the public. For a current schedule of distributions at Anthem Community Service Centers visit its Community Events listings.
About Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Serving New Yorkers for 90 years, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP is on a mission to materially and measurably improve the health of New Yorkers. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP is the trade name of Anthem HP, LLC. Independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., serving residents and businesses in the 17 eastern and southeastern counties of New York state. Additional information about Anthem is available at www.anthem.com. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
About The Campaign Against Hunger
The Campaign Against Hunger is a leading nonprofit organization based in Brooklyn, NY, working to build a more equitable food system through emergency food services, urban agriculture, workforce development, and community wellness programs. TCAH serves over 1.5 million New Yorkers annually through its innovative, people-centered approach to food justice. Additional information about The Campaign Against Hunger is available at https://www.tcahnyc.org/.
About Food Bank for NYC
Driven by our mission to empower every New Yorker to achieve food security for good, we harness the collective power of our network of food providers, partners, and volunteers to activate the right resources, supports, and expertise across the five boroughs. Our work with more than 800 soup kitchens, food pantries, and campus partners provides immediate and reliable access to food and nutrition education, while our economic empowerment programs give people the tools and know-how to improve their financial wellness. Community by community, we work together to make progress on a more hopeful, dignified, and equitable future for all. To learn more about our impact or get involved, visit foodbanknyc.org.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For interviews with Anthem and photo opportunities contact Keith Klein at kklein@msanewyork.com.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield hosts The Campaign Against Hunger’s Fresh Vibes mobile market at Anthem Community Service Centers in New York City and select churches in Suffolk and Westchester counties. The holiday food distribution of more than 6,400 bags of fresh produce runs through Dec. 23.
SURIN, Thailand (AP) — Cambodia’s powerful Senate President Hun Sen on Tuesday vowed that his country would carry out a fierce fight against Thailand as a second day of widespread renewed combat between the Southeast Asian neighbors drove tens of thousands of people to flee border areas.
Fighting broke out following a skirmish on Sunday during which two Thai soldiers were injured, derailing a ceasefire that ended fighting over competing territorial claims in July. The five days of fighting then left dozens dead on both sides, and forced the evacuation of over 100,000 civilians.
In a sign that neither side was willing to back down, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Tuesday that Cambodia had not yet contacted Thailand about possible negotiations and the fighting would continue.
“We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” he said. “The government will support all kinds of military operations as planned earlier.” He had said Monday that military action was necessary to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and ensure public safety.
In a statement posted to Facebook and Telegram, Hun Sen claimed that his country had refrained from retaliating on Monday, but overnight began to fire back at Thai forces, saying Cambodia would "weaken and destroy enemy forces through counterattacks.”
Thailand’s military said Cambodia attacked Thai positions with artillery and rocket and drone attacks on Tuesday. Thailand says that Cambodian forces also fired at its troops Sunday and Monday, but each side blames the other for firing the first shots.
“Cambodia wants peace, but Cambodia is forced to fight back to defend its territory,” Hun Sen wrote. He was Cambodia’s long-serving prime minister until 2023, when he was succeeded by his son Hun Manet, but is still widely seen as the country’s de facto leader.
Cambodia’s military announced Tuesday that the new fighting had killed seven civilians and wounded 20. A Thai military spokesperson announced Tuesday that three soldiers have been killed in the new fighting.
Thailand on Monday carried out airstrikes along the frontier, which it said were a defensive action targeting military installations. Thai military spokesperson Rear Adm. Surasant Kongsiri said Tuesday that such operations would continue “until attacks stop.”
Ordinary citizens meanwhile had to deal with life after being relocated from the danger zones.
An evacuation shelter at a university in Thailand's northeastern city of Surin is hosting more than 3,600 people. Evacuees sit or lie on thin mats spread across the floor, and several have set up small tents in their allotted areas as sleeping spaces.
At lunchtime, some line up with their own plates to receive cooked rice, while others wait in place to be served ready-to-eat meals packed in small plastic bags. An army band plays for their entertainment.
Portable fans cool them during the day. Blankets, in piles beside them, keep them warm at night, when temperatures can fall to as low as 18 C (64 F).
“We were preparing to evacuate. We hadn’t left yet. But when we heard shots we hurried out immediately," cassava farmer Pan-ngam Kanchangthong told The Associated Press. "I was scared. Who wouldn’t be scared of shelling?”
The Thai army said almost 500 temporary shelters have been set up in four border provinces, accommodating 125,838 people. Additional refugees from the fighting are expected to stay with relatives in safe areas.
Evacuees on the Cambodian side had similar experiences.
“I felt terrified when I heard the sound of the explosion from the shelling. At that time, I was working at the garment factory," said 44-year-old Vach Neang, a father of seven.
“I called my wife and my kids but couldn't reach them, and by that time the sound of explosions was getting louder, so the factory owner let us go home," said Vach Neang, speaking at a former market in Cambodia’s northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey that has been repurposed as a shelter, He added that he packed just a few clothes before leaving his home.
Cambodian Information Minister Neth Pheaktra said almost 55,000 people have been evacuated and the numbers are mounting.
Thailand and Cambodia have a history of enmity over centuries and experience periodic tensions along their land border of more than 800 kilometers (500 miles). Centuries ago both were powerful empires, but Thailand's size and greater development over the past century give it the military advantage.
Some of the disputed territory hosts centuries-old temples that both nations covet as part of their legacy.
The ceasefire that ended July’s fighting was brokered by Malaysia and pushed through by pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges from the two nations unless they agreed to it.
A more detailed agreement signed in October called for removing heavy weapons from the border; desisting from disseminating false information and harmful rhetoric; implementing measures to restore mutual trust; and coordinating operations to remove land mines.
None of these actions appear to have been fully implemented by either side. After the ceasefire, both nations continued to fight a bitter propaganda war using disinformation, alongside minor outbreaks of cross-border violence.
A major Cambodian complaint has been that Thailand continues to hold 18 prisoners who were taken captive the same day the ceasefire went into effect. Thailand claims they approached its positions in a threatening manner, an allegation denied by Phnom Penh.
Meanwhile, Thailand accuses Cambodia of laying new land mines in the areas under dispute, in several cases maiming Thai soldiers. Cambodia says the mines are left over from decades of civil war that ended in 1999.
The mines issue caused Thailand to declare earlier this month that it was indefinitely pausing implementation of the details of the ceasefire until Cambodia apologized for the latest incident wounding Thai soldiers.
A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that a Thai soldier was killed during a skirmish on Sunday. Two Thai soldiers were injured during the skirmish on Sunday, according to the Thai military, but none were reported killed.
Sopheng Cheang reported from Mongkol Borey, Cambodia.
Thai people, who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, takes shelter in Buriram province, Thailand. Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
A Thai Buddhist monk uses his computer while taking shelter in Buriram province, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, after he fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
Thai residents, who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, takes shelter in Buriram province, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
In this photo released by Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP), Cambodian villagers sit on tractors as they flee from the home in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AKP via AP)
A Thai resident who fled clashes between Thai and Cambodian soldiers, uses mobile phone while taking shelter in Buriram province, Thailand, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
