June 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 47

Peoria Grown and Peoria Park District
work together to provide a welcoming
space for people and families within the
most under-invested Peoria neighborhoods
to access healthy food options.
home to 2.08 times more white residents
than any other race or ethnicity
(tinyurl.com/mu7zwhxj). At
approximately $27,000 annually,
the median household income of
Black residents is about 50 percent
lower than that of white residents
(tinyurl.com/mryrsbyk). Additionally,
within these two zip-code areas,
approximately 5,000 residents
receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) benefits,
according to the 2019 U.S. Census
American Community Survey.
In 2018, two grocery stores within
these areas closed, creating a
food desert. What's more, lack of
affordable and reliable transportation
makes it difficult for community
members to get to a source of
fresh fruits and vegetables, with
most located upwards of three
miles away. If they are able to get
to a grocery store or other location
with fresh food, the price of that
food is likely to have increased due
to inflation. In Peoria's 61605 zip
code, more than half of the children
live below the poverty line,
meaning these price increases can
be the difference between a healthy
snack and an unhealthy one, or
even none at all.
These barriers that prevent access
to affordable, fresh, healthy food
inevitably increase the risk of other
challenges and complications, such
as chronic health conditions like
diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular
disease. According to the 2019
Peoria County Mortality Report, this
is exemplified in Peoria's Southside
neighborhoods,
where
increased
health conditions lead to the median
age at death for Black residents
to be 10 years younger than that of
their white counterparts.
Pairing Strengths
and Challenges
While Peoria does face challenges
when it comes to public health,
there is a strong foundation of solutions
to work from that begins with
parks and recreation. Peoria Park
District - the oldest and largest
park district in Illinois - boasts 60
square miles of parkland, and staff
are known for their ability to activate
the department's facilities and
spaces through their strong presence
and programming. " We have
a shared commitment with Peoria
Park District, [which] can provide
access to key parts of the targeted
service community by offering access
to facilities that are housed in
parks adjacent to neighborhoods
in need, " says Julie Eliathamby,
founder and executive director of
Peoria Grown. " This helps to keep
While Peoria faces public health challenges,
there is a strong foundation of
solutions to work from that begins with
parks and recreation.
costs down and allows for maximum
reach of dollars donated to
the project. The Peoria Park District
has a strong commitment to comPARK
S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | JUNE 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
47
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEORIA GROWN
https://tinyurl.com/mu7zwhxj https://tinyurl.com/mryrsbyk
June 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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