Loaves and Fish has been a staple in Peoria for more than two decades.
The food pantry connected with the University of Illinois Extension Center through the Food for Health grant to bring more to the plate by catering to those with diet restrictions.
“So, we’re labeling foods with a plain green sticker if it’s a food to encourage or a healthier choice. And then we’re also labeling foods that are diabetes friendly, hypertension friendly and then heart friendly, so if someone with that diagnosis comes through, they’re able to identify with that sticker, the healthier choice,” said Kaitlyn Streitmatter, SNAP educator with the U of I Extension Center.
Kaitlyn Streitmatter says posters placed for guests demonstrate what’s healthy by using the three colors of a traffic light.
“We’re using the same language of like, go for go foods, whoa for red foods that you don’t want to, foods that you want to eat less of and then slow for foods that maybe you eat a few of, so we’re just labeling the green items that we’re encouraging,” said Streitmatter.
“Educating them to make better choices helps everybody, most of all our guests, and it makes them not only feel better, but it’s a healthier lifestyle that we are all after,” said Pam Swirmicky, coordinator for Loaves and Fish.
But it doesn’t stop there, the order of the food on tables and shelves also plays a role in choosing healthy goods.
“Instead of putting sodas first, we put them at the end of the line, and put more of the better choices first,” said Swirmicky.
U of I has tried out the new program for two for about two months now and organizers say so far it’s a success.
“Ideally, we’d like to see this in all the pantries. It’s not a competition by any means, but, yeah, it does feel great to promote healthier choices within the pantries,” said Streitmatter.
