OREGON – Mini food centers are now being set up in four Sauk Valley counties as part of an effort to provide free, fresh, nutritious food 24/7.
The centers, located in Ogle, Lee, Whiteside and Carroll counties, are made possible through the efforts of the Ogle County Health Department and funded by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Joyce Lewis, Ogle County grants coordinator, said Oregon communities have embraced the project.
“The community has been amazing and they want to help us,” Lewis said. “The response has been more than we ever imagined and we hope they are helping those in need. The outpouring of support has been astronomical.”
She hopes the mini food center will help educate residents about food insecurity and help everyone gain healthier food choices.
“Certainly food insecurity exists,” she said. “It’s a new concept for rural areas.”
With funding from the CDC, the Mini Food Centers are designed to increase food nutrition security — that is, providing easy access to fresh, nutritious foods to improve the overall nutrition and health of people living in underserved areas.
“Food pantries are great but have limited hours,” Lewis said. “Mini Food Centers are open 24/7. You can bring what you need and leave what you can.”
Lewis said the grant will provide $500,000 over the next three years.
The Sauk Valley Food Bank is supplying the center with produce through September but is also accepting donations. Donated produce must be washed before being placed in the mini food center.
“You don’t want to put something in your fridge with trash in it,” Lewis said. “We stop frequently to clean and disinfect, and we check our hosting centers daily.”
Shelf-stable foods are accepted but must be unopened. All donated food must be labeled with the ingredients to avoid allergens. Homemade prepared foods and leftovers are not accepted.
In addition to produce, the mini food centre also stocks common staples such as milk, bread and butter.
“Hopefully people will only take what they need and only when they really need it,” Lewis said.
Signs will be posted in the mini food centre to remind patrons of all the rules.
The grant was created to target a four-county area because the needs of each county were similar.
“This isn’t just an Ogle County issue. This area may have grocery stores, but prices are high and there are a lot of other issues. We’re trying to fill that gap,” Lewis said.
“In 2022, the Ogle County Health Department received a grant through the CDC to address the social determinants of health, specifically food and nutrition security, throughout Lee, Ogle, Carroll and Whiteside counties,” the health department’s website states. “The health department has collaborated with many other local organizations and conducted numerous assessments to gather data and develop a unified plan.”
Ogle County’s Mini Food Center is located on the south side of the Nash Oregon Recreation Center (304 S. Fifth St.). Lee County’s Mini Food Center is located at Teen Turf (235 W. Main St.) in Amboy. Whiteside County’s Mini Food Center is located at the YWCA of the Sauk Valley (412 First Ave.) in Sterling. Carroll County’s Mini Food Center is located at the Davis Community Center, 631 S. East St. in Mount Carroll.
Lewis said the mini food centers are a first step in strengthening nutrition education and educating local residents on how nutrition impacts chronic disease rates.
The Ogle County Health Department partnered with other local health departments, area hospitals and educators to work with the community to develop the plan, she said.
“We have a great group of people,” Lewis said.
So far, the Mini Food Centre has been well received.
“Overall, everyone was very polite. [has] “We’re really enthusiastic about this project,” Lewis said.
The mini food centre has lighting but no camera surveillance of any kind.
“We want people to feel comfortable,” Lewis said.
The health department asked students from Oregon High School’s agricultural construction class to build the mini food center.
Agriculture teacher Seth McMillan said 19 students spent two to three months building the center.
“We learned about all of the framing, the roof, the exterior walls, and how to put it all together,” McMillan said, “and then we delivered it. I think the kids learned a lot and realized how important it is to be involved in a project.”
More information about the plan can be found on the Ogle County website in the Ogle County Health Department CDC Accelerator Plan Success Story.
Information can also be obtained by calling 815-562-6976 or visiting the Ogle County Health Department Facebook page.
Additional Information
The “Funding in Action” sheet provides additional information about the three-county multi-sector partnership.
Challenge
Nutrition and physical activity levels are risk factors for becoming obese, yet these rural areas have very limited access to grocery stores and recreational fitness facilities compared to Illinois and the United States.
About 25 percent of Ogle and Lee County residents and 26 percent of Whiteside County residents are obese. In rural northwest Illinois, it’s hard to find fresh produce and places to get active.
A study by the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity said that eating more nutritious foods and engaging in regular physical activity not only reduces the chance of becoming obese, but also reduces the chance of developing other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
approach
Everyone’s perceptions of nutrition and physical activity vary. We partnered with two local universities to conduct a Rural Active Living Assessment to identify areas of the county most in need of support. We conducted a Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey to evaluate the quality, availability and affordability of items provided to our community.
To engage with local residents and understand their perceptions regarding availability of nutritious foods, a Google Forms survey was distributed through social media. Local hospitals, health departments, and educators collaborated to develop the survey to collect data from local residents regarding their nutrition perceptions and availability of nutritious foods.
result
A rural active living assessment was carried out in 12 towns and found a need to increase knowledge of fitness opportunities available to community members.
The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey found that there were few reduced-sodium food options in shops within the catchment area.
The Google Form survey received 364 responses, with 28.2% responding “disagree” to the question of whether they have the ability to bear the costs of purchasing nutritious food. In response to these results, plans were implemented to further increase access to nutritious food by increasing the number of food pantries and mini food centers.
