It would be hard not to notice how expensive everything is right now: food costs, housing costs, basic utility costs, transportation costs, healthcare costs, insurance costs. The high costs are impacting us all and are squeezing low and fixed-income families and seniors to the breaking point.
Families and seniors in Manatee County are having to choose between buying food or paying their rent. When money is tight people tend to rely on food that is cheap. Cheaper foods are often low in nutrients and high in sodium and fat which can lead to health problems including hypertension, heart disease, and stroke*.
The Office of Disease Prevention recommends that, “Improving access to foods that support healthy dietary patterns is one method for addressing health disparities and population health.”** Through our Mobile Produce Pantry and Produce on Wheels programs, we are removing two of the main barriers to accessing nutrient-rich fresh fruits and vegetables: location and cost.
Each month The Food Bank of Manatee, a PLUS program of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, distributes fresh produce free of charge at mobile produce distribution locations in Manatee County. Why a mobile distribution? Because many people in our community don’t have access to transportation which creates a barrier to access. By going directly into parts of our community where there is a high need, we are making fresh fruits and vegetables available.
Similarly, through our Produce on Wheels program, each month nearly 750 homebound and disabled residents who can’t leave their homes to shop receive a bag of fresh produce to ensure they have fresh fruits and vegetables. The majority of clients surveyed love fresh produce delivery and one client commented they, “need more produce”!
Can you help? Just $6 can provide fresh produce to babies, children, families, and seniors.
The programs of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee are lifesaving and life-changing. Please help us to fund these critical programs in Manatee County.
Click here to make your gift today!
* https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/#:~:text=But%20too%20much%20sodium%20in,more%20than%20our%20bodies%20need-
**https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/access-foods-support-healthy-dietary-patterns#:~:text=Affordability%20also%20influences%20access%20to,are%20often%20low%20in%20nutrients.
