Health department takes a look at food insecurity in Jeffco

“Access to healthy food plays such a large role in overall health and wellbeing. GoFarm strives to provide assistance to the supply side of local food by helping farmers, while also providing affordable produce to all members of the community.” — Anna Schott, community access programs manager for GoFarm.

Christy Steadman

“Building the community to be self-sufficient and understanding what our resources are helps improve food insecurity in Jeffco. It’s important to educate the community on nutritional awareness, such as where our food comes from and the culinary backing behind it all.” — Josh Olsen, chefarmer and instructor at ACRES at Warren Tech.

Christy Steadman

“Food should be accessible to all people. We try to help people learn how to grow their own food, which is an affordable solution to providing food for your entire family.” — Patti O’Neal, CSU horticulturalist and food systems for Jefferson County Extension.

Christy Steadman

“Hunger is a silent problem. Most people want to eat healthy, fresh, local food, but don’t always think it’s possible. SNAP and Double Up benefits at farmers markets allow people to shop the way they hope to.” — Jenna Metzinger, farmers market SNAP coordinator with Jefferson County Public Health.

Christy Steadman

Jefferson County Public Health’s Food Systems Coordinator Marion Kalb speaks at an all-day conference on food insecurity. The conference took place on Nov. 9 at the Wheat Ridge Parks and Recreation Center.

Christy Steadman

More than 100 Jefferson County community members and representatives from local organizations attended an all-day conference on food insecurity on Nov. 9, which was put on by Jefferson County Public Health.

“It’s unacceptable that anybody in our county is hungry,” said Marion Kalb, the food systems coordinator for the Jeffco health department. “Food makes a huge difference on how we function.”

Adults perform better at their jobs, and children are able to learn better when they are well-fed, Kalb said.

“Food really helps people be the best that they can be,” she added.

Access to food means that it is affordable and geographically accessible, Kalb said, and that people are educated on preparing fresh produce and knowing how to shop for food that provides nutritional value on a limited budget.

The conference served as a gathering for the health department’s Food Policy Council, which looks at what is happening with food insecurity across the county. The council represents the different sectors of the food system, Kalb said, such as farmers, distributors, food co-ops, healthcare representatives, agencies such as WIC and human services, educators and nonprofit partners.

“This is all about collaboration,” said Rachel Cohen, a special projects administrator for the health department. “Collaborations allow us to work across sectors. It’s going to take all of us together.”

Food Policy Council

Jefferson County Public Health’s Food Policy Council meets monthly at the Jefferson County Public Health department in Lakewood. It is open to anyone who is interested in increasing food security and providing access to healthy food for all Jeffco residents.

To learn more, visit www.healthyjeffco.com/food access, or contact Marion Kalb, the health department’s food systems coordinator, at mlkalb@jeffco.us.

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