TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – For the second year in a row, Mercy Health is awarding money to non-profits to help support its community health projects. This year, a local non-profit that specializes in food insecurity is getting some of that funding.
“Access to healthy food is a challenge, but what your health truly does start with is healthy food,” Mercy Health’s director of community health, Jessica Henry, said.
Toledo Grows is up for the challenge and they have the support to back them up.
Mercy Health awarded the non-profit nearly $70,000 through the community health fund.
“We’re health, we’re a hospital, we’re healthcare and we know access to healthy food is a great need in our community. So, who do we partner with? The experts in our community and that would be Toledo Grows,” Henry said.
Toledo Grows already has 105 gardens built in the area. Its goal is to make healthy food accessible for those experiencing food insecurity.
“What we do at Toledo Grows is really a part of the plan to help improve the health of the community,” Toledo Grows executive director, Yvonne Dubielak said.
Even though a lot of their plants may be out of season, Toledo Grows said the community can still feel their impact even during these colder months.
“We provide education for both community gardeners and we have a whole education component for youth,” Dubielak said.
Dubielak said that a portion of the funds will go toward maintenance for three gardens in zip codes. A portion of the population relies on the gardens to improve their diet and for educational purposes.
“We will be able to work directly with three gardens, determine what their needs are and provide funding for the needs that they have for their garden,” Dubielak said.
The two hope that with these continued efforts, the partnership will blossom into something far beyond how it has started.
“We can not be the end all be all in the community, but we can find great partners and together we can improve the health and well-being of our community,” Henry said.
Both Henry and Dubielak said this is an exciting time to start their partnership. Not only will the award help them meet their goals for this year but it could have a lasting impact on the community for years to come.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-02-19 18:53:00
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