On Friday, June 26th volunteers united once again to help support and participate in a community-wide food give-away in Washington Park, Illinois. The event, hosted at the Mount Calvary Church of God in Christ, was another example of the collaborative spirit growing in our St. Clair County neighborhoods among members of the faith community and area leaders. This was the fourth neighborhood engagement event convened in Washington Park as part of HEALTHIER TOGETHER's strategic focus on Community Safety.  The current members of this effort include volunteers from the Mount Calvary Church of God in Christ, the House of Prayer for All Nations, Ameren Illinois, the East Side Aligned Movement, Age Smart Community Resources and the HEALTHIER TOGETHER movement.

Over 9,750 lbs. of food items & toiletries were distributed in the Washington Park, IL neighborhood.

AmeriCorp workers Clare and Julia provided support from the St. Louis Foodbank.

Throughout the event, volunteers once again engaged with area residents on both a walk-in and drive- through basis to provide an abundance of healthy food options and a little hydration relief from the heat. Nearly 100 families received some the following:

1. Over 7,500 pounds (2,182 items) of mixed food including fruits, vegetables, dry goods and other boxed items provided by the St. Louis Area Foodbank.

2. An additional supply of 2,250 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables made available from the Farm to Family project distributed through the East St. Louis School District 189 meal program.

3. Members of the Mount Calvary Church of God in Christ faith community also packaged and distributed bags of personal hygiene products and other COVID-19 protective items thanks to a donation made available through the Ever and Anon Foundation.

The Community Safety Work Group is currently planning several follow-up events this year to engage residents and community leaders in working together to build sustainable neighborhood alliances to make a long-term impact on improving the quality of life and overall health in our metro-east communities. The group's next event – an online Community Impact Forum - will be an opportunity to join with other citizens and groups to learn how we can work together to help improve the quality of life and health in our neighborhoods and communities. . For more information about this and other Community Safety events, visit the HEALTHIER TOGETHER Events page.