Amid the economic crisis facing Americans, certain individuals and companies are stepping up to help families survive in the state of Florida. Aetna Health is teaming up with Feeding South Florida (FSF) to provide healthy food for low-income communities in Miami-Dade County.
Aetna and FSF cited the housing crisis as one of their concerns for taking action in the region. Many residents have resorted to, "illegal housing," arrangements. However, a local food pantry can hopefully ease the fight for survival that Florida families are having to put up.
The partnership will run through August of 2022 and is focused on providing healthy and nutritious food to best cater to those who suffer from conditions like diabetes, or from high blood sugar (A1C).
The Floridian spoke with CEO Jennifer Sweet who is behind the operation to ask about details Floridians should know, and what the future may look like for the campaign.
When asked about the progress of the program, Sweet told The Floridian, "One of the important things about the program is that the members that show up have consistently shown up week after week after week for what is almost a whole year now, and that, you know, absent any other metrics, that is certainly a mark of success."
While it seems that Sweet's motivation is taking care of Floridians in a deteriorating economy, Sweet believes food is an integral part of supporting families. Sweet told the Floridian, "It’s important to tie food to our health and we want to continue to reinforce that message with all our members and help make it possible for them to get the kind of food that does improve their health."
While the operation has been well received by the Miami area, there are hopes to expand the practice all around Florida. While nothing is in motion yet, there are plans to expand such programs into North East Florida sometime in the near future.
