Groups team up for food effort
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
A new partnership between the American Heart Association of Greater Pittsburgh and Centerville Clinics will put fresh food on the tables of Mon Valley residents.
On Friday, Barry Nicolai, executive director of the clinics, and Dr. Lauren Rauscher, community impact director at the American Heart Association, announced the program to bring fresh, healthy, nutritious food to people in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties.
Starting this week, Centerville Clinics begin to receive deliveries every two weeks at its Charleroi, Connellsville and Washington sites. Each delivery will include 400 boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables for distribution to patients in need.
The distribution will continue biweekly for the next six months.
The deliveries will be made by Monteverde’s Inc., a local family-owned and operated produce-distributing company.
Each box will have 20 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit.
Dr. Indy Poornima, president of the American Heart Association Greater Pittsburgh Board of Directors, said fresh food is vital.
“Access to a variety of fresh foods is foundational to heart health,” he said. “A diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables is integral to preventing and treating high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
“And yet, 23 neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh have been identified as Healthy Food Priority Areas where residents experience significant barriers to affordable, fresh food.”
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