Bucks Knocks Out Hunger provides food pantries with healthy options
A recent survey conducted by Bucks County’s Hunger and Nutrition Coalition shows that locally, 59% of food-insecure households include at least one person with a chronic medical condition — a statistic that aligns with nationwide findings. Feeding America reports that among all U.S. households that visit food pantries, 58% have at least one member with high blood pressure and 33% have at least one member with diabetes.
Managing a chronic medical condition can be challenging even under ideal conditions. It’s even harder for those who experience food insecurity.
“Food insecurity” describes a lack of financial resources for food at the household level. Food-insecure households have less control over the foods they can access than households with greater financial resources.
Help Knock Out Hunger:The pandemic left 30,000 Bucks County residents without enough food. Help the United Way Knock Out Hunger
Frequently, the most affordable fast and filling foods are canned or processed with significant amounts of sodium, fat, and sugar.
But with management of many chronic health conditions like diabetes or hypertension directly linked to diet, local hunger relief organizations are putting an emphasis on ensuring better options are available for Bucks County residents.
Maddie Burgess, manager of two high-volume food pantries operated by Bucks County Housing Group, has joined forces with Philabundance to improve the diet and health of pantry guests.
The “Healthy Pantry Initiative” works with food banks and pantries to increase the availability of healthy food and beverage options. The initiative encourages consumption of those foods by making environmental changes like placing healthy foods in more prominent and attractive, eye-level displays. It also provides nutrition education such as healthy food tastings, demonstrations, recipes, and classes.
“It’s really important to have healthy options that guests can choose like anyone else,” said Burgess.
While Burgess has high hopes of seeing the health of her clients improve, she stressed that Bucks County will see better health outcomes county-wide if more local pantries can provide healthy options. United Way of Bucks County’s Bucks Knocks Out Hunger campaign plays a key role in making that happen.
“We know that eating a good diet is critical to staying healthy,” said Tim Philpot, United Way of Bucks County’s director of Financial Stability and Health. “That’s why Bucks Knocks Out Hunger is so important. Healthy foods have always been our priority. All cash donations help provide fresh, local produce, eggs, lean proteins, and other staples.”
This year, the campaign to Knock Out Hunger also includes a contact-free county-wide food drive on June 18 and 19. Organizers are encouraging supporters to donate healthier foods, like low-sodium canned goods, no sugar added juices, and whole grain items.
“Less than half of the people we surveyed locally said they were able to follow the diets their health providers recommended on the foods they could obtain from food pantries. If more folks donate healthy options this year, we can help address that,” said Philpot.
“We want to make sure that people who are food-insecure are both fed today and healthy tomorrow.”
How you can help
United Way of Bucks County hopes to gather 30,000 pounds of healthy foods this year, as well as raise $100,000 to buy healthy foods for food pantries.
The food drive, a no-contact, drive-through operation, will be held on June 18 and 19. To learn more about the drive, view a list of the types of healthy food products needed, or make a donation to the Bucks Knocks Out Hunger campaign, go to www.uwbucks.org/bkohunger or mail a check to United Way of Bucks County, 413 Hood Blvd, Fairless Hills, PA 19030 and write BKO Hunger in the memo line.
