For One Food Insecure Family, The Pandemic Leaves Them With ‘No Wiggle Room’
Ja Nelle Pleasure never used to think twice about putting food on the table for her family. In fact, the Pleasure family revolved around food. One of…
Migrant Clinics Offering COVID-19 Testing To Farmworkers Face Challenges
CHICAGO – The U.S. food supply depends on millions of migrant and seasonal farmworkers, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 because of circumstances in which they live and work. Outbreaks of COVID-19 on farms have killed more than a dozen farmworkers nationwide, and infected thousands more, according to tracking from the Food and Environment Reporting…
New Mobile Market Aims To Alleviate Hunger In Champaign-Urbana
CHAMPAIGN – Nearly 16% of Champaign County residents struggle to afford food, according to a 2020 Feeding America study. A new bus on the streets of Champaign-Urbana is aiming to alleviate that. The new Mobile Market is the product of a partnership between Carle Health and the newly formed Champaign-Urbana City Farms. The pay-what-you-can food…
Bayer’s Rejection Of Quick COVID-19 Testing Resulted In Delayed Isolation For Migrant Workers, Officials Say
RANTOUL – At least eight migrant workers who were infected with COVID-19 waited several days before isolating because the company they worked for, Bayer, declined to pay for expedited tests, Champaign County health officials said. The company’s rejection came after its occupational health team had agreed to pay about $5,000 in quick testing for about…
More Demand, Fewer Volunteers Leave Food Pantries Scrambling During Pandemic
Before the pandemic, the food pantry at St. Patrick Church in Urbana, Ill. served meals to more than 100 families per week. They operated with the help…
These Brewers Are Making Beer That ‘Tastes Like Southern Illinois’ — With Herbs, Roots And Mushrooms
Aaron Kleidon kneels to stoke a campfire under a massive copper kettle, as hundreds of gallons of molasses-colored brew churn and bubble inside. He shakes a few handfuls of dried sweet clover into a cotton sack, which will steep in the beer and infuse it with a subtle vanilla flavor. Like all of the beers…
Black Farmers Sue Bayer, Urging Federal Court To Take Roundup Off The Market
A group of Black farmers says the ag giant’s nearly $11 billion settlement of Roundup-related lawsuits earlier this summer wasn’t enough — they want the corporation to stop selling it.
New Community Food Map Aims To Help Food Insecure Families
URBANA – A University of Illinois Extension team has designed a map for people to locate food resources in their zip codes. It’s tailored to families and individuals who struggle to afford food. Included on the map are grocery stores, farmers’ markets, food pantries, and school and summer meal sites. The map also pinpoints Supplemental…
Farmers Reeling After Storm Rips Through Millions Of Acres Of Crops
Midwestern farmers are beginning to assess crop damage after a high-wind storm, known as a derecho, ripped through the region Monday. Iowa and Illinois were two of the hardest hit states, with tens of millions of acres of crops impacted and reports of widespread infrastructure damage. “It’s by far the most extensive and widespread damage…
Help From Uncle Sam Isn’t Reaching All Farmers
When you walk into Cyndy Ash’s barn, one of the first things you notice is a huge burlap sack, bursting at the seams with wool. “We’re sitting on about…
At Least 100 Migrant Farmworkers In Illinois Have Tested Positive For COVID-19, Clinic Director Says
CHICAGO – Thousands of workers travel to Illinois each year to work on farms, with the largest influx to central Illinois in the summer and fall. Amid concerns about COVID-19, the state’s department of public health is partnering with medical clinics to make testing available to farmworkers. The Community Health Partnership of Illinois, based in…
New Study Reveals Racial Disparities Among Food Insecure Families
The number of families experiencing food insecurity has hit a record due to the pandemic, and Black and Hispanic families are disproportionately…
Amid COVID-19 Concerns, Clinics Step Up Testing For Migrant Farmworkers
CHAMPAIGN – Maricel Mendoza is familiar with the work migrant and seasonal farmworkers do. Growing up, her family traveled from Texas to central Illinois every year for her parents’ jobs as contractors with a large seed company. “All of my parents’ siblings were migrants, my grandparents were migrants,” Mendoza says. “So it’s just something that…
Recalled Salad Linked To Intestinal Illness In Champaign County
CHAMPAIGN – If you recently bought packaged garden salad, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District says you should check to see if its been recalled. In a press release late Wednesday, health leaders reported there are six cases of Cyclosporiasis in Champaign County. The intestinal illness can cause watery diarrhea, loss of appetite, bloating, low grade…
Farmers’ Struggles With Mental Health Increase Amid Pandemic
CHAMPAIGN — Meg Moynihan knows what it’s like to struggle. In 2016 she and her husband, who own an organic dairy farm in Minnesota, found themselves without a processor, which turns farm milk into a consumer product. Their farm was too far a drive for too little milk, they were told. They didn’t find another…