Health and Hunger Conference

The NWA Food Bank was a part of the first ever health and hunger summit a few weeks ago. Over 100 people were in attendance including members from the NWA Food Bank, Feeding America, Feed Communities, UAMS and many other hunger relief organizations all came together to discuss hunger and food insecurity and its impact on a person’s health. It was emphasized how important good nutrition is and how many people are suffering from chronic diseases-forcing many to choose between paying for medicine and paying for food.

Many topics and ideas were discussed including type two diabetes and how it’s plaguing many older Arkansans, the food insecurity issues facing Springdale’s Marshallese population and the need to create more access to fresher foods. Several agencies also stated that they would like to become more focused on client choice. One of our food pantries said, “I really enjoyed the conference. My favorite session was the identification of usable food products and how to promote fresh fruits and vegetables to clients. It also helped to connect with so many different organizations!” It became a great networking opportunity for everyone and there is already talk about a conference for next year!