Letter to the Editor | Help put healthy food on area tables - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

In the U.S., and even in our smaller communities, we see a lot of junk food in our convenience stores and grocery stores. Junk foods are foods with high salt, fat and/or sugar, and they are very low in nutritional quality.

Further, these foods are what most poor families gravitate to, and they do not seem to have much of a choice. Even if a a family were to qualify for the state's Women, Infant and Children Food and Nutritional Services, food can still be too expensive.

This program is no doubt helping families across the state, but it is not directly providing good foods for these families.

When a family goes grocery shopping, more than likely they are going to choose items that cost less. Healthy foods are expensive and out of reach, so they buy meals, snacks and drinks low in nutrition and price to get an abundance of food for their family.

Here in Champaign-Urbana, we have an abundance of food pantries and community food drives. A lot of families that could utilize the pantries often forget that they are there, and families that could donate forget that they have the power to make a difference. I think those that have means to donate should.

This would provide free and healthy options to families and to any other underprivileged individuals in our community instead of relying on WIC, and splurging into taxpayer money to buy junk food.

TAYLOR FINNEY

Paxton

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