Who We Serve
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Food insecurity is associated with lower dietary quality, including a lower consumption of fruits and vegetables. Moreover, poor diet quality with limited fresh fruit and vegetable intake has been shown to increase the incidence of many chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and many cancers. In predominantly lower-income and minority neighborhoods in the U.S. there is typically less access to fresh fruits and vegetables and greater access to unhealthy food. Residents of the Heartside neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, with high rates of homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity, exemplify these characteristics with one study finding as many as 70% of the population has some degree of food insecurity and almost 50% experience very low food security.
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The Heartside community encompasses one of the central districts in the downtown Grand Rapids area. Stretching east for several blocks along the Grand River from Wealthy St. to Fulton St. Heartside contains a diverse collection of parks, residencies, businesses, mixed use buildings, and commercial and industrial space. Almost 38% of the Heartside population is non-white with over 24% being African American and 7.5% being Hispanic or Latino. In addition, there are four homeless shelters within the Heartside community.
Roosevelt Park neighborhood is a densely populated area with a commercial corridor surrounded by heavy industry. It runs south from Wealthy St. to Burton St. along the U.S. 131 corridor. The population is largely Hispanic or Latino (>75%), 63% are below 150% of the poverty line, and there is 13.1% unemployment. The SWAN and John Ball Park neighborhoods on the west side of Grand Rapids run along Market Street north from Wealthy St. to Bridge St. This is a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood with a large influx of college students leading to greatly increased rental rates. The longer term residents face high rates of poverty with 12% unemployment and there is a large Hispanic/Latino population here. |
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"Thank you for allowing me to receive free vegetables today." - HGI Produce Recipients "I'm thankful you do this for us that can't afford fresh food in the stores. You help out a tremendous amount." - HGI Produce Recipients |
“The best progress to see was when handing things out at Dwelling place. Kids one week ask “What is that?!” then come back the next week and now it’s “Got any more of that?!?” A lot of these families don’t have any other access to fruits and veggies. I, and I know many others, who have diabetes and other health issues - I can see with my medical history how having access to fresh fruits and vegetables makes a difference. It’s all about breaking the cycle.˝
- Cora, Heartside Resident and Recipient |
"I love this program!" - HGI Produce Recipients "It is good for people who can't afford the food they need for their health. Eating right is the right way." - Elida, Heartside Resident and Recipient |