Good Neighbor Stories

Small Jar, Big Impact

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 11:47:00 -0600

Just as a jar of peanut butter is a staple in home pantries, it’s equally important in community food pantries. Due to its long shelf life and nutritional value, peanut butter is a highly sought-after food to help hungry communities. That's why the jars on the shelves in food banks typically run out long before their expiration dates.

“Peanut butter can be expensive for food banks and food pantries to purchase yet it’s a power house of nutrition,” said, Tara Ingham, Executive Director for the Midwest Food Bank, “Especially in times of disaster relief it’s convenient, doesn’t take much preparation – and it packs a ton of nutrition.”

According to the National Peanut Board, a two tablespoon serving of the nutty spread packs seven grams of protein and more than 30 essential vitamins and minerals. With an average cost of 16 cents per serving, peanut butter makes a nutrient-rich addition to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

That’s why State Farm employees across the U.S. united to help stock food pantry shelves. In less than one month, they collected more than 18,000 jars of peanut butter, totaling more than 21,000 pounds. The donations were distributed to food pantries across the country.

Catrena Smith, an Illinois employee, worked with her department to collect more than 100 jars.

“This peanut butter drive is a wonderful opportunity to contribute and give together as a team,” said Smith. “It’s amazing to know our collective effort at State Farm will help feed many.”

Looking for ways to get involved in your community? Whether it’s giving a jar of peanut butter, or giving your time to a local organization - the State Farm Neighborhood of Good® can help. Visit www.NeighborhoodofGood.com® to find causes that matter to you – right in your neighborhood.

Bringing Healthy Food To A Food Desert

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:00:00 -0500

Some children have never seen a carrot. How can this be? Carrots are everywhere!

Unfortunately, carrots are not everywhere. You’re more likely to find fast food and bags of chips than carrots in a food desert.

Food deserts, found all around the country, are areas where there’s no or limited access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food, like carrots. These areas are often low-income neighborhoods where people can’t afford cars.

For many Americans, a trip to the grocery story is a breeze. You just hop in your car and you’re on your way. Imagine being a senior citizen or a single mom with two toddlers without a car on a fixed income. And the closest grocery store is two miles away.

What is a simple chore for some is instead a grueling walk carrying multiple, heavy bags.

“A lot of low-income families and seniors in the neighborhood can’t afford cars, so they walk to the corner convenience store or fast food place to get high fat, sodium and sugar filled processed food. This is often their only choice,” says Darren Chapman, president of TigerMountain.

TigerMountain, a foundation in South Phoenix, not only grows fruits and vegetables in local gardens, but educates the community about healthy food. The foundation provides options for families to get involved in feeding themselves and taking care of their health.

“We are here to help people grow their own healthy food, leave the unhealthy choices behind and live their best life,” says Chapman.

Not only is fresh food hard to come by in food deserts, it’s often more costly than in food-rich neighborhoods. The price almost doubles for the same food items.

But the problems don’t stop at the pocketbook. Diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure are some of the many health problems low-income families in food deserts face.

TigerMountain is not only trying to make local residents healthier but also bring the community together. Neighbors work together to grow and distribute the fresh food. Young and old are getting involved in the process and the rewards are beneficial for everyone.

“My children introduced me to TigerMountain. They worked in the gardens before I did,” says Jerome Taylor. “Our community is a diverse mix of people and the garden is a meeting place where we all come together and get along. There is peace in our gardens. It’s stress free.”

“I like working at the gardens because I like meeting people,” says DaRon Stafford. “A lot of people come for a visit to one of our gardens and end up participating in the program.”

With funding help from State Farm, the TigerMountain team and local communities are changing the quality of life for low-income families in the Phoenix area. Together, they are building more than a sense of community, they are introducing children to carrots and other vegetables and fruits. And those foods taste especially good when they grow them themselves!

Saving Food, Saving Lives

Thu, 12 May 2016 00:00:00 -0500

Imagine having no food: Not on the dinner table, or in the pantry, or even in the fridge. This isn’t the scene of a third-world country, but of our very own America. Poverty and hunger are often a joint package.

One of the most common effects of poverty is its negative impact on health and nutrition. Food deserts are parts of the country where people are living without cars or supermarkets within a mile of their home.

These deserts are usually in poor communities. The result: People have few affordable options to feed themselves, often left to shop at mini-marts, only carrying processed foods.

Among all of this is VittleWise, a Chicago non-profit organization that’s rescuing food, delivering it to families in need, and providing nutrition education.

A Welcome Detour

It all started just outside of Detroit. It was here that Ed Beebe grew up loving food. Long story short: he went to culinary school, became a chef, and then his career met a roadblock.

“The recession after 9/11, I remember vividly any restaurant that I worked at, there would be more people knocking at our backdoor than coming in the restaurant,” shared Ed. “Those two things hit me hard.”

Eventually Ed decided to pursue a Masters in Marketing and worked for the American Medical Association for five years. It was here he learned more about nutrition, and the impact of unhealthy food on the body. For a guy who always knew he wanted to do something with food, an idea sparked.

“It all came back to one thing, food education. For a lot of people, their diets still weren’t changing just because they had access to healthier food,” said Ed. “That’s how VittleWise started, finding that fulfillment in doing culinary work and volunteer work.”

Voilà, VittleWise

First was the Microwave Meals Cookbook. The reality is that many people living in shelters or low-income

housing may only have a microwave to cook. Microwavable foods are often unhealthy, so the goal was to make meals more nutritionally-balanced.

The cookbooks were such a success that Chicago organizations began asking Ed to teach cooking classes.

“With [the classes] we really got to understand more of what people are actually dealing with,” said Ed. “The common question would be: You’re teaching us how to make food but not actually providing it?”

Feeding Families

In Chicago, it’s estimated that 55 million pounds of food are wasted annually. Through a growing network of donors and food businesses, VittleWise is taking a stab at reducing food waste throughout the city.

Today, VittleWise delivers rescued food to families throughout Chicago. At this point, the recipients are about a halfway split between single-mothers and elderly people.

These families are not only receiving food, but improving their health. For one family in Hyde Park, the healthy food donations allowed each family member to get rid of their diabetic symptoms.

“They took me in as a long lost family member or friend. There’s people that really don’t have a whole lot,” said Ed. “Just dropping the food off, and seeing how happy they are.”

An Open Door

In 2015, Ed came to the State Farm Next Door® facility in Lincoln Park.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t jumping into something unmanageable with this new idea of a delivery program,” said Ed.

VittleWise was selected over more than 55 applicants to become the Project in Residence, a six-month residency program that provides the space and knowledge to help project owners launch their business.

“The biggest impact Next Door had was being able to have more of a business mindset. I had the passion and the drive, but not the business mindset,” said Ed. “They knew how to bring that in.”

VittleWise completed their residency at Next Door, and continues to make progress day by day. The non-profit has recently moved to a larger space to accommodate the growing food donations, and two new cookbooks will be coming out soon.

Stay tuned and stay healthy!

Click for more information on food deserts.

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