CARBONDALE, IL — Obesity is a problem everywhere in our community.
A new Community Health Needs Assessment by Southern Illinois Healthcare shows 23.4% of people in Jackson County live in poverty, making it harder to get healthier foods. In southern Illinois, 80% of adults don’t get enough fruits and vegetables.
Parts of southern Illinois are in rough shape. Poverty rates are high, forcing people to make tough choices when it comes to food.
“If you are struggling to pay bills and it’s whether or not you make your apartment rental fee or you purchase one side of food versus another, a lot of times competing demands keep us from making the healthier choice,” said Sara Patrick.
Patrick is an administrator at the Jackson County Health Department. She said a lack of fresh food is dangerous for your kids. “It can increase a likelihood of obesity. It can reduce productivity at school and work,” said Patrick.
Southern Illinois Healthcare is using the research from the assessment to create plans to help people be healthy, specifically putting more vegetables on the table.
“We are working with the farmers market to double value SNAP benefits. If a person comes and they want to swipe $10, they will actually get $20 to spend with the local farmers,” said SIH community benefits manager Angie Bailey.
The Victory Dream Center food pantry feeds 5,000 people every month. Director Nathan Cherry said making sure people have equal access to fresh food is important.
“We have a lot of families who come in. If we get the families to start being able to partake in the healthier food items, the kids can start when they’re young,” said Cherry.
If you want to help increase access to fresh foods, one of the best things you can do is check the labels before donating to a food pantry
“Everyone plays a role in helping. Sometimes we donate whatever’s left in our pantry. We put it out there not thinking about how healthy it is,” said Bailey.
It takes a village to create a healthier community. The Victory Dream Center is always in need of volunteers and monetary donations to purchase food from the Saint Louis Area Food Bank. For more information, visit victorydreamcenter.org.
Food pantries in Paducah such as Paducah Cooperative Ministry and the Family Service Society also accept donations. Visit paducahcoopministry.org or fsspaducah.com/news-events for more information.
For pantry near Cape Girardeau visit: semofoodbank.org.