SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA, March 29, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Caregivers from Intermountain Healthcare have donated more than 6,000 pounds of food this month to support children who experience chronic hunger in Utah's Davis County.

The donations were made to the Bountiful Food Pantry’s Pantry Pack program, which helps feed at-risk students in Davis School District. The project supports Intermountain’s work to improve the social determinants of health, which are non-medical factors that affect health and well-being.

Pantry Packs — which include two breakfasts, two lunches, and several snacks — are provided each Friday to students to give them enough to eat on the weekends. Intermountain’s donation equals nearly 5,000 Pantry Packs, or more than 8,000 meals. About 24 percent of students in the district receive subsidized meals during the week, but face an increased risk of hunger over the weekend, according to the pantry.

“Nutrition is an integral part of helping people live the healthiest lives possible,” said Joy Musselman, Intermountain’s director of clinical nutrition. “We can’t be as healthy as we possibly can if we’re not putting nutritious foods into our bodies.”

Chronic hunger impacts more than 40,000 Davis County residents, including nearly 18,000 children. It’s linked to health issues and chronic diseases including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Chronic hunger doesn’t happen all the time; it may reflect a household’s need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as utility or medical bills and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.

“Intermountain is an organization of caregivers. We care for people,” Musselman said. “And food is one of the ways we show we care. The food packs we’ve provided help children in our communities feel cared for, even by getting something as simple as granola bars, applesauce cups, and instant oatmeal.”

Nearly all of the 60,000 Pantry Packs the Bountiful Food Pantry distributes are assembled by volunteers. The pantry employs only two staff members, which creates a significant need for volunteer groups. Individuals, families, civic and church groups, and others are invited to visit the Pantry’s volunteer website to sign up to assist in their work.

Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based not-for-profit system of 23 hospitals, 170 clinics, a Medical Group with some 2,300 employed physicians and advanced care practitioners, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare through evidence-based best practices, high quality, and sustainable costs. For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.

Daron Cowley
Intermountain Healthcare
801-442-2834
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