New Website Connects Chicago Area Residents to Nutritional Resources Searchable Online Database Locates Nearby Food Programs |
|
CHICAGO - The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is pleased to announce the debut of Direct2Food.org, an innovative online tool that connects people to food assistance resources in Cook and Collar Counties. Direct2Food is designed to help food insecure people and families, and the providers who serve them, learn about and access food assistance programs. After entering basic demographic information, the site provides a tailored response listing the various programs for which the user may be eligible. With Direct2Food, Cook and Collar County residents now have a useful tool to link them to food pantries, soup kitchens, home-delivered and congregate meal programs, WIC offices, and government offices where they can apply for food stamps, (SNAP) all in one place. “The ability to access nutritious foods is essential to the well being of all people; but it is particularly critical for people with chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS,” said AFC’s Policy Manager Jessica Terlikowski. “Direct2Food will help individuals and service providers more easily navigate the large system of food assistance programs and ultimately increase food insecure community members access the foods they need to stay healthy.”
AFC, in collaboration with the Illinois Food and Nutrition Advocacy Partnership, saw great value in developing a website that would serve as a one-stop-shop to be utilized by service organizations throughout Chicago and the surrounding counties.
Although Illinois ranks better than the national average, food insecurity continues to be an issue for many residents in the Chicago area. Numbers for Illinois food insecurity and stamp usage have increased over the past few years, and may continue to increase due to the national recession and the state’s budget crisis. Food stamp use has steadily grown in Illinois from 2004-2008. It is estimated that 10% of Illinois residents now use food stamps.
“Seeking food assistance for the first time can be daunting,” said Kate Maehr, Executive Director at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. “Direct2Food eases the process of locating food and resources for individuals and families in need.”
It is estimated that 467,000 households (or 9.5%) are food insecure, lacking access to enough food to fully meet basic needs at all times due to limited financial resources, and 172,000 households are “very low food secure.” People that fall into this last category have struggled with having enough food for the household, including cutting back or skipping meals on a frequent basis for both adults and children (from Food Research and Action Center: State of the States 2008, http://www.frac.org/pdf/SOS_2008_withcover_nov08.pdf).
Melissa Travis, Director of Food Services at People’s Resource Center said, “Direct2Food will definitely enhance my ability to serve my clients on a daily basis. No food pantry is able to supply enough food to a family for more than a few days, so it is often necessary to refer families to additional resources. Direct2Food’s locating tool will give easy access to food resources and even the smallest pantries.”
Direct2Food is driven by a database that contains over 1,100 listings of resources throughout Cook and the Collar County areas. The more information is entered into the search form, the more tailored the results will be to meet one’s specific needs. For example, an HIV-positive mother of two, with an elderly parent living in her DuPage county household is looking for food resources. Once she answers some initial basic questions, she can learn about WIC and food stamp eligibility, nearby food programs that serve people with HIV, and food assistance for seniors, so that she can adequately care for the nutritional health of herself and her family.
According to AgeOptions’ Red Tape Cutters Specialist Elizabeth Lough, “the Direct2Food website will serve as a tremendous asset to the Red Tape Cutters coordinators and volunteers in locating food resources for older persons and their caregivers due to its wealth of information, ease of use, and ability to ‘cut the red tape.’”
Direct2Food was developed by the Illinois Food and Nutrition Advocacy Partnership which is comprised of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, AgeOptions, Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of Chicago, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Health & Disability Advocates, People's Resource Center, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, and Vital Bridges. This program is supported in part by grants from Kraft Foods and the Sara Lee Foundation.
Founded by community activists and physicians in 1985, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a catalyst for local, national, and international action on HIV/AIDS.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Hits: 60 Comments (0)
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
