Young volunteers deliver fresh produce to West Side neighbors in need

CHICAGO — Young people in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood are helping feed elderly residents on the West Side through a new partnership with Beyond Hunger.

“What is often a necessity in every neighborhood, fresh produce is often a pleasure here. We are a food desert here,” Keith Tankston said.

Tankston is a supervisor with Austin Harvest, a youth-led entrepreneurship program designed to bring groceries to the Austin community.

Austin Harvest has a market on Laramie Avenue. Tankston says healthy food is scarce in the area, which is home to 95,000 people.

“We need to be able to serve our community well,” Tankston said.

Through a partnership with Beyond Hunger, volunteers with Austin Harvest fill boxes with fresh veggies and fruit for those in need.

“I love the different kinds of produce that they bring in. We get apples and oranges and grapes and things that people are familiar with. Sometimes they get ginger,” Tamiko Saame of Beyond Hunger said.

Over the past several months, Beyond Hunger has purchased thousands of pounds in produce from Austin Harvest for home delivery.  The items are delivered to seniors, people with disabilities and adults who are homebound. 

“We deliver groceries once a month. And then for certain households that we have, they have more need,” Saame said.

Additionally, any unsold produce from the Austin Harvest Market is donated to Beyond Hunger’s produce delivery program, helping residents access 30 pounds of fresh produce a month.

“If you needed an apple, you would have to catch the bus or drive to find it, you wouldn’t be able to go to the corner store to get it,” Cora Williams said.

WGN-TV spoke to Williams over the phone. She is enrolled in the home delivery program and says she is grateful for this kind of help after a stroke set her back.

“I just hope and pray that it can continue to go on and hope there are some young people out there who want to volunteer to help because we need them and we need the nourishment,” Williams said.

Officials with Beyond Hunger say their surveys show their program is helping improve the health of those they serve.

Approximately 90% of delivery recipients report eating more fruit and vegetables, and 88% feel more confident managing their overall diet.