Healthy Produce Vital To Local Garden Share Program, Seniors

Danville’s OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center and its Faith in Action ministry are looking for volunteers and food donations for its Garden Share Program. The initiative starts offering free, fresh produce next week to area seniors.

Ashton Greer is the the Senior Services Program Coordinator at OSF Sacred Heart Medical Center.

The organizer says her hospital’s Garden Share Program collects fresh produce donated by local growers. And that food is distributed to area seniors by volunteers.

Greer says the program is vital to seniors on fixed incomes who may otherwise lack access to affordable, fresh produce.

“The hope of Garden Share, primarily is to help seniors make healthier choices and to make a positive impact on their health," said Greer.

Greer says eating healthier food can also improve health outcomes, and that’s good for both the community and the hospital.

“Our hospital as a whole, we are serving our community right? And so the healthier that our people are, the less crowded our emergency room is, the better service we can offer to people," said Greer. 

Beginning Wednesday July 11, seniors aged 55 and up can pick up produce donated by local gardeners through the Garden Share program, at two different locations.

Those include the CRIS Healthy-Aging Center in Danville, and the Georgetown Township building in Georgetown. Local gardeners can drop off their fresh produce at the same locations.