Healthy Alamance

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Healthy Alamance

Healthy Alamance's mission is to mobilize resources to develop and support a healthy, nurturing comm
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319 N Graham-Hopedale Road
Burlington, NC
27217

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Mobilizing resources to partner with the community to address issues of health

Posted on October 20, 2017 by halamance

Ikigai is a term that older Okinawans use to articulate their reasons for waking up in the morning. A moai is a secure social network that provides a safety net and lends financial and emotional support in times of need. According to Dan Buettner in “The Blue Zones” these two terms are the strategies employed by some of the communities where people live the longest. Buettner identifies Ikigai and moai as important factors that contribute to the long lives of the Okinawans. Therefore, having attended a presentation by Buettner, I believe both of these factors are essential tools for community engagement and can be incorporated in Alamance County.

In 2015, 1 in 4 households had incomes 130 percent below the poverty line. Of those Americans with incomes below the poverty line, 25 percent were food insecure. In addition, seniors lived alone in almost half of the low-income food-insecure households (SNAP Helps Millions of Low-Income Seniors, 2017). “Fewer than one-third of senior citizens in the United States eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, which are vital to preventing and treating health problems” (Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, 2016). With 1.2 million food insecure senior citizens living alone and unable to eat healthy nutritious foods, it appears obvious that there is a problem. If seniors are unable to afford proper food, it seems impossible for them to have a sense of purpose, or a Ikigai. It is also obvious that a supportive community, or a moai, was not available to act as a safety net among these seniors. Therefore, the North Park Farmers’ Market initiated The Senior Discount Program.

This program addresses food insecurity and a lack of a community by incentivizing seniors to buy fresh produce at the North Park Farmers’ Market. Seniors receive three tokens for every visit to the market. The goal of the program is to increase seniors’ access to local foods, and to also aid in the development and expansion of the North Park Farmers’ Market.