Food insecurity affects many Peoria families. Local organizations are finding innovative solutions to combat this complicated issue.

Peoria Grown was founded in 2018. Founder Julie Eliathamby and her team work not only on tackling food insecurity, but health issues related to poor nutrition.

“In Peoria, we are not short of food. We are getting food into people’s hands. But it’s just that we need to give them the right type of food, because right now, just giving families any type of food and saying this is good enough, it’s not helping them. We’ve kind of created another issue, which is the health issue,” said Eliathamby.

Peoria Grown’s Market 309 program brings healthy, affordable food and grocery items into the areas that need it most. Currently, the team runs two markets at the Logan Recreation Center and North Valley Commons.

Eliathamby said she wants to work more closely with other partners, such as local farms. “For a small nonprofit like us, we do not have a lot of cash to be able to buy at a higher cost for produce, so that may not make it very enticing to sell to a small group like us, because you won’t make as much of a margin,” said Eliathamby.

Down River Farm is an organic vegetable farm located in East Peoria. Owner Evan Barry has wanted to work with Eliathamby for about three years.

“I reached out mostly because I was really inspired by her cooking classes she was putting on. We’ve been talking since then on how we can start working together,” said Barry.

Barry said as much as he would love to donate his produce directly to Peoria Grown, that’s not feasible from a business perspective. Thus, he thought up a mutual aid partnership, inspired by another farmer, Chris Newman of Sylvanaqua Farms.

“You can purchase and contribute shares of produce that will go directly to Peoria Grown to be distributed at either their Market 309, or their cooking classes,” Barry said.

This model brings the greater Peoria community into the equation, allowing them to personally have a hand in alleviating food insecurity, while also allowing Barry’s farm to retain its profit to be able to continue providing produce at affordable prices.

However, Market 309 isn’t the only market in town trying to help people stretch their food dollars.

The Peoria Riverfront Market is in its 19th season. Since 2012, the market has offered a LINK matching program. LINK is the Illinois name for SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Sharon Gramm is the executive director of the Peoria Riverfront Association. She said anyone who receives LINK benefits can bring their card to the market and swipe it in exchange for wooden tokens, which can be used at any of the food vendors. However, there’s an added $25 matching bonus for LINK users to purchase fruits and vegetables.

Not only does this provide a direct way for families to stretch their budget and eat healthy foods, but it also supports local farmers at the market, like Barry.

However, Gramm estimates only about 20 to 40 people per Saturday take advantage of this LINK matching program at the market. And according to the American Community Survey (ACS) conducted each year by the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 10,000 households in Peoria County received SNAP benefits at some point between 2015 and 2019. So why aren’t more people taking advantage of the program?

Gramm says she doesn’t see any outright barriers to how the market is set up. “I think we have a good location … there’s no perfect spot … there’s bus service that’s not too far away … I hope that everyone feels welcome in the space. I think that we have a very diverse group of both vendors and customers,” Gramm said.

It’s also possible that many folks just don’t know about this program in general. Lack of transportation, the frequency of the market, and the perception that farmers markets are more of a treat-yourself type of activity rather than a real, sustainable way to support the community and grocery shop are all other factors Barry said could be at play when considering the small number of people utilizing the program.

At the end of the day, Gramm says she can see the real impact this program has on families.

“We do see a lot of customers use it. They’re very appreciative of the matching program, and they are appreciative that it helps their dollars go farther, and it allows them to spend money on healthy and nutritious produce,” Gramm said.

In addition to this matching program, The Riverfront Market has also started a partnership with Peoria Grown.

— This story is published in partnership with WCBU, Peoria Public Radio