Mississippi

This food pantry is funded by a grant from United Healthcare Foundation to address nutrition security issues in Mississippi. Mississippi is the “hungriest” state in the nation, and on the MS Gulf Coast, approximately 70% of the population of Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson counties live in areas with low or no healthy food access. The MS Gulf Coast also falls below the national average in terms of healthy food access, daily fruit and vegetable consumption, and the prevalence of chronic disease risk factors tied to poor nutrition.

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, only 8% of medical students and 5% of physicians are Black and African American. In an effort to address this disparity, the American Heart Association, the leading public health nonprofit organization dedicated to building a world of longer, healthier lives for all, has announced that four local students have been selected to participate in its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars program.

Local awardees are:

The American Heart Association, as part of its effort to Grow the Good for Mississippi farmers, families, and local economies, applauds the Mississippi Legislature for passing policy to create and fund the Mississippi Healthy Food and Families Program within the Department of Agriculture. Starting July 1, the program will help families stretch their food dollars by reimbursing participating SNAP locations, such as farmers markets, to offer “double up” dollars for fresh fruits and vegetables.

“We’re embracing the old saying, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away,' while adopting the mantra, 'food is medicine,'” said Erin Williamson Smith, Therizo Foundation’s CEO, president and founder, and member of the Grow the Good initiative. SNAP is linked with reduced health care costs. On average, low-income adults taking part in SNAP incur nearly 25% less in medical care costs. The difference is even greater for those with hypertension and coronary heart disease.

“I grew up paying reduced lunch fees in elementary school. Nearly everyone paid a reduced rate or ate free,” said Rev. K. Jason Coker, PhD, coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi and member of the Grow the Good initiative. “Food insecurity was part of my lived experience. I want better for all our kids in Mississippi.” 

Without SNAP incentives, thousands of families would not be able to afford fruits and vegetables for their children. In Mississippi, one in five people face hunger and one in four children face hunger. One in seven Mississippians receives benefits from SNAP or 455,000 Mississippi residents. In Mississippi, almost half (47.7%) of households receiving SNAP benefits have children. 

In addition to improving nutrition security, the Mississippi Healthy Food and Families Program will spur economic growth. Every $5 spent on SNAP incentives puts $9 back into local economies. Through higher sales of produce, farmers, grocery store owners, farmer’s markets vendors, and small retail stores. The Mississippi Healthy Food and Families Program will boost local economies and put food on the table for many hardworking families. Farmers markets in underserved areas are more likely to thrive when they accept SNAP incentives and vouchers for food at the market. Over 3,000 small businesses in Mississippi depend on SNAP and SNAP incentives to survive.

The Metro Jackson Team recently launched a new initiative focused on improving maternal health in Mississippi.  Unfortunately, Mississippi has the highest maternal death rates in the US and black women are more than four times more likely to die from pregnancy related issues than white women and the local AHA team knew that we needed to find donors willing to help us support local clinics with resources for pregnant and new moms.  With support of a local corporate sponsorship, the AHA provided maternal wellness boxes, blood pressure cuffs with patient diaries and healthy food boxes to all the mothers who attended the event at a local health clinic. Those who spoke during the press conference highlighted the importance of accessible comprehensive care – mental, emotional, and physical – for women and children of color who are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to quality medical care in Mississippi. Since the kick off, we have had two additional new sponsors commit to support this effort and we are confident that we will continue to have others come on board to support this important issue in Mississippi.