Northern Illinois Food Bank Receives $25,000 Medline CARES donation

GENEVA – A brand new $25,000 Medline CARES donation helps to assist the Meals Financial institution’s Construct Wholesome Communities Display screen and Intervene initiative, working alongside healthcare organizations to deal with the necessity for nutritious meals for sufferers recognized as food-insecure. Thus far, Medline has donated $75,000 in direction of the initiative.

Greater than 200 households and people will store from the Meals Financial institution initiative’s Rx Cell meals supply car from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Erie HealthReach Waukegan Well being Middle, 2323 Grand Ave., Waukegan.

Erie sufferers and households on the Rx Cell occasion will every choose about 45 kilos of meals, together with a mixture of meat, dairy, fruits and vegetable in addition to different gadgets. Along with the Meals Financial institution and Erie Household Well being employees, representatives from native nonprofits Retaining Households Coated and Northwest Palliative Care may also present providers through the Rx Cell occasion.

“Entry to contemporary, nutritious meals is on the heart of well being and starvation. Initiatives like our Rx Mobiles and our partnerships with healthcare, social service, and community-based organizations present the nutritious meals and vitamin schooling our neighbors must thrive,” stated Kathleen Wendt, supervisor of wholesome communities and senior applications, Northern Illinois Meals Financial institution.

“Medline is honored to assist organizations like Northern Illinois Meals Financial institution which might be pondering holistically about well being fairness amongst those that are most marginalized,” stated Karen Frey, senior philanthropy supervisor, Medline. “We’re excited to see them prepared the ground in partnering with different businesses to supply much-needed providers in a coordinated and handy means for residents and our communities.”

Employees and well being care suppliers at Erie Household Well being say this system serves an essential want for his or her sufferers. “General, we see higher well being outcomes when our sufferers dealing with starvation get contemporary fruits, veggies, milk, eggs, and protein meals,” stated Erie’s Social Determinants of Well being Supervisor Lacey Johnson, MPH. “The Cell Rx has been an distinctive useful resource for our sufferers, particularly these with continual well being situations like hypertension or diabetes.”

About this system

Meals and vitamin safety means having dependable entry to sufficient high-quality meals to keep away from starvation and keep wholesome, in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. Enhancing entry to nutritious meals helps total well being, reduces continual illnesses, and helps individuals keep away from pointless well being care. That’s why meals and vitamin safety is likely one of the key social determinants of well being, in accordance with the CDC.

Since its inception in 2019, the Northern Illinois Meals Financial institution’s Construct Wholesome Communities Display screen and Intervene program has confirmed the price of meals as drugs, as well being suppliers shift to holistic healthcare and concentrate on sufferers’ environment in addition to their bodily illnesses. Via this system, sufferers are screened for meals insecurity at their medical suppliers’ places of work by means of a two-question Starvation Very important Signal Screening Instrument concerning their entry to and talent to afford meals.

Those that display screen optimistic obtain a voucher to take part in this system, which incorporates the Rx Mobiles in addition to hospital-based meals pantries, a web-based meals pantry (My Pantry Categorical) and Rx Markets which use the identical meals as drugs strategy together with further providers at fastened places.

The Rx Cell program is handy for many individuals because it takes place periodically on the clinics or hospitals the place they already obtain care. This system takes place at 5 places in Lake County.

It’s additionally well-liked amongst sufferers: “I really like internet hosting the meals financial institution at Erie as a result of it’s good to see so many households’ wants being met and I get to work together with the neighborhood,” stated Kaled Cortes, a care coordinator at Erie Well being Attain Waukegan who helps plan and execute the Rx Cell occasions. “The occasion has additionally been rewarding in seeing households be blissful and smiling as a result of they’re going to have meals to eat.”

For extra details about Rx Mobiles and Northern Illinois Meals Financial institution applications, go to: SolveHungerToday.org.