The healthy power of a prepared meal

I never imagined the delivery of prepared meals could elicit joy and appreciation from recipients. As Greater Chicago Food Depository Board chairman, I recently had the privilege of accompanying driver Xavier Hernandez as he delivered nutritious, made-from-scratch meals to some of our area’s most vulnerable neighbors.

Our task was to ensure older adults in south suburban Cook County had something nutritious to eat that day. These deliveries are the last stretch of a meticulously planned operation at the food depository to provide nutritious and delicious meals to people at increased risk of food insecurity.

The deliveries are part of a new partnership with Oak Park-based Age Options, providing 350 neighbors in Rich and Bremen Townships with five healthy meals a week.

The lunches and dinners are comprised of lean proteins (chicken breasts, fish, beans), whole grains and vegetables, and are made from scratch by a talented team of chefs, line cooks and a dietitian at the food depository’s newly opened prepared meals center.

Eight years ago, following research to better understand the barriers to food access, the food depository made an important decision: Free groceries are not the solution for everyone facing hunger.

We had to expand our prepared meal programs. Older adults and people with disabilities have needs that go beyond groceries — some face mobility or transportation challenges, while others don’t have access to a kitchen.

Food and health are connected

During my almost 40 years as a physician, I have seen firsthand the effects of food insecurity on a patient’s health. In particular, many older adults are navigating chronic health conditions like hypertension, diabetes and kidney or heart disease that require a nutritionally adequate diet.

This can be hard to access or maintain when on a limited or fixed income, as are many of the older adults Xavier and I met on our recent delivery.

No amount of medicine is going to help a senior who can only afford meals loaded with sodium, sugar and saturated fats. They need access to healthy, balanced meals to keep chronic health conditions under control.

Unfortunately, because of the inequitable way our country’s systems are set up, not everyone has access to the means they need to support healthy eating. Food insecurity affects Black and Latino households at nearly double the rate of White households.

To close that gap, we now deliver ready-to-eat meals to neighbors in addition to distributing millions of pounds of groceries a year at no cost to partner food pantries across Chicago and Cook County.

“It’s important work,” commented Xavier as we moved through the neighborhood streets to reach each recipient. With one in five households in the Chicago metropolitan area facing food insecurity, he’s right.

On our route, we were greeted warmly by every recipient. With each look of relief and gratitude, it dawned on me the power of these meals. Much more than a source of sustenance, these meals represent hope, connection and comfort in uncertain times for many of these seniors. Importantly, these meals allow them to age with dignity.

Congress must keep strengthening food programs

Xavier also sees the clear connection between food access and the health of our neighbors. He started working for the food depository 12 years ago, shortly after graduating from Kennedy High School. In between driving routes, he earned his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Illinois Chicago. Next fall, he’ll start medical school, motivated by the inequity of food insecurity he’s witnessed on the job and its relation to chronic disease.

I’m inspired by Xavier. Like the food depository, he’s determined to make a difference, and he understands we can’t end hunger alone. Our partners, donors, advocates and volunteers remain steadfast in their commitment to the mission and walk alongside us every day as we continue to build on solutions to eliminate food insecurity.

However, we also need continued, even stronger support from our leaders at the federal level. While the recent government funding deal protects critical anti-hunger programs like SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) and Medicaid for the next few months, we continue to worry about efforts to weaken the safety net.

As we head into a new administration in Washington, I urge members of Congress to protect and strengthen nutrition programs that help neighbors like those I met delivering meals with Xavier — and millions more across the country experiencing food insecurity.

Dr. John Jay Shannon is chairman of the Greater Chicago Food Depository; principal of Health Management Associates; and former chief executive officer of Cook County Health.

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