Food Insecurity Threatens Quality of Education
What a Peoria non-profit is doing to elevate students’ minds through nutrition and dietary education…
Al Cuizon Jr.
April 21, 2022
Peoria Grown is a local non-profit focusing on improving nutrition and diet and helping the community, especially those in need.
Although today’s workshop was canceled and moved to a later date, Julie Elianthamby, the founder and CEO of Peoria Grown; passionate community leader and innovator, and Peoria Grown Nutritionist & Dietitian Candice Martell were still working towards creating a more nutrient Peoria and continuing plans to move the workshop forward.
They both explained their reason as to why they set up the Food Insecurity workshop in the first place, stating that their main focus is to reeducate the student body, especially at the high school and college level, as to understand the misconceptions of general “food pantries” as well as the dangers of these misconceptions, specifically on college campuses.
“This workshop was mainly geared to food insecurity on college campuses,” says Eliathamby. “This is an area that is not talked about a lot. There is a huge nutrition insecurity issue in college campuses across the nation.”
They both explained that the aspect of moving Peoria forward through truly understanding what are healthy and unhealthy foods as well as their mission as to why they do what they do was on another level.
Peoria Grown has partnered up with Bradley University in a push to increase nutrition and dietary education and awareness; expressing for others mentally and physically prepared at an affordable price.
With the ability for students, especially students who live on campus, to purchase commonly expensive products such as eggs, salad, fruits, etc at prices ranging from $1-$3 from their market called Market 309, the mission to bring nutritious awareness to college campuses has been compelling.
“Students need to fuel their bodies with nutritious, healthy food on a daily basis, especially when you are within high-pressure situations in college classes,” continued Eliathamby.
By bringing a more diverse variety of foods based on the feedback of the people who have seen and experienced the services of Peoria Grown and their Market 309 marketplace.
With aspirations of expanding out to Illinois Central College and creating their first brick-and-mortar Market 309 grocery store in the South Side of Peoria, Peoria Grown has shown dedication to eliminating nutrition & dietary misconceptions, as well as servicing those in the community.
“We [Peoria Grown] are trying to debunk these nutrition myths and face the real issue of healthy and unhealthy foods. Improving the lives of families across Peoria,” said Eliathamby.