Access to healthy food can be challenging for low income individuals.
"It's really hard especially this time of year because in the summer time things are in season, and they are cheaper but in the winter, it becomes harder to find those fresh options,” says Elizabeth Shuff a dietitian with Crossing Healthcare. “We just wanted to provide a really easy free way to come get a bunch of produce that you can use for a couple weeks that's not going to go bad right away.”
The goal of these events is to not only help provide healthy food, but to encourage people make healthy choices.
"Being able to show them how to cook it and giving them the ability to taste it, and see that oh this tastes good I can cook it, helps cut down on the intimidation,” says Dr. Dana Ray medical director of Crossing Healthcare. “Hopefully we will end up changing some behavior, because that’s what this is all about."
According to the latest hunger in America study, 71% of people in central and southern Illinois who access pantries suffer from health conditions that require a healthy diet. A statistic the Central Illinois Foodbank is working to change.
"Providing healthy food is a huge initiative of the Central Illinois Food Bank,” says Kristy Gilmore the Food & Agency Resource Director for the Central Illinois Foodbank. “We've been focusing on fresh produce for a long time this year we will actually distribute about two million pounds of fresh produce to our agencies in the area and through healthy food distributions."
Some hope, the city will help curb that statistic as well.
"That's one of the reason I am pushing to get more of the land used for urban gardens,” added Dr. Dana Ray. “Then that food would be donated to some of the food banks in town,”
Central Illinois Food Bank could hold the distribution due to a grant they received from TJ Maxx.
Two more distributions are scheduled to take place in Springfield. You can find out dates and details by clicking here.
