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Lotoya Miles, 32, didn’t know if she had type 2 diabetes.
Neither did Brande Ellis, 25, or Kimberly Jackson, 31.
All three Fort Myers women stood in line to find out at the Harry Chapin Food Bank’s “Food for Life” mobile pantry distribution and health fair last week.
Miles and Jackson had elevated sugar levels that put them in the diabetic range.
“I had a feeling,” Jackson said. “I’m overweight and I don’t exercise. I could eat better.”
Eating healthier is one of the ways to combat type 2 diabetes. And the staff at The Harry Chapin Food Bank wants to help make that happen. They are distributing healthier foods to those at risk of diabetes as a result of a $50,000 grant from an anonymous trust.
They created a program called “Food for Life,” geared toward providing information and assistance to low-income families with a high risk of type 2 diabetes.
The program, which kicked off last week at Clemente Park in Fort Myers, served almost 1,000 people and will make about a dozen stops throughout Southwest Florida.
The mobile food pantry will distribute healthy foods such as fresh produce and vegetables. It will also offer child-friendly and adult-based literature explaining healthy eating and meal planning.
Scientific research has discovered a type 2 diabetes link to poverty and obesity, said Chris Robinson, food sourcing director with The Harry Chapin Food Bank.
Type 2 diabetes is also more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and Asian Americans, native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The fact that fast food and sugary snacks have become less expensive than fruits, vegetables, and lean protein have led lower income families to save money by purchasing these items rather than nutritious foods, he said.
At the first event, almost a quarter of those tested had blood tests that showed them in the diabetic range.
Participants got assistance with SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), and a cooking demonstration designed to educate families about healthier cooking.
Homer Gutierrez, a SNAP outreach coordinator, was grilling chicken and boiling rice in seasoned water.
Preston Gary, 54, sampled some of the chicken and rice with his 3-year-old niece. They both liked it.
“I’m trying to stay away from all the greasy stuff,” Gary said.
That’s the point, especially for those in the diabetic range. As the result of their free blood tests, and meeting income guidelines, Miles and Jackson can visit Lee Diabetes Care, a division of Lee Memorial Health System, and receive a free course valued at $600 about managing diabetes, as well as a year’s worth of testing supplies.
By providing the education and means to prevent and/or manage type 2 diabetes, the Harry Chapin Food Bank hopes that the “Food for Life” project will fight hunger and provide hope for thousands in need, Robinson said.
