Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarKimberly Jennings puts fresh produce in bags prior to handing them out Tuesday afternoon during the Farm to Fork program at the Meridian Multi-County Community Service Agency.

Whenever Rosie Jones eats fresh fruits and vegetables, she notices a deep difference in the way that she feels.

“You feel better,” said Jones, of Meridian. “It’s fresh – it’s not preserved.”

Jones was among dozens of residents who came to the Multi-County Community Service Agency Tuesday afternoon to pick up a bag stuffed with squash, zucchini, bell peppers, onions sweet potatoes and various greens – all part of the Farm to Fork Program conducted by UnitedHealthcare and the Alcorn State University Extension Program.

The food itself was provided by the Extension Program.

April Weathers, a community outreach specialist for UnitedHealthcare who was on the scene in Meridian, worked at a similar local distribution earlier in the summer. She characterized the nutritional needs of some residents in stark terms.

“Some people come because it’s healthy eating, and we have the makings for a perfect, healthy meal,” Weathers said. “And some people come because they literally have no more food left in their pantries.”

Kobie Wells, supervisor of community outreach with UnitedHealthcare, said the program, which began in 2012, helps to make palpable the advice people often receive to seek out fresh foods.

“It’s one thing to talk about it,” Wells said in a telephone interview before the event. But the crunch of fresh produce, he explained, can make a deeper impression.

The project visits sites across the state, and Wells noted five distributions scheduled in Meridian between May and September. Participants in UnitedHealthcare’s portion of the Mississippi Coordinated Access Network and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are eligible to receive the produce.

According to records from the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, 760,609 Mississippi residents qualified for Medicaid or CHIP in May 2017 – about a quarter of the state’s residents. Those numbers include beneficiaries of the Mississippi Coordinated Access Network.

Dwyla Wilson, a licensed counselor and behavioral health advocate for UnitedHealthcare, explained that a key part of the task, during food-distribution activities, can be to direct people to deeper wells of support. She noted that some residents, such as the one Weathers mentioned, need more frequent and thorough-going help.

“What we do is link them to other community services that help them to meet their needs,” said Wilson, who lives in Meridian. “After we identify some gaps, then we’re better able to assist them and direct them to the services that are out there.”

John Coleman, extension educator for the Alcorn State University Extension Program, said members of UnitedHealthcare approached the program several years ago to see if they could find ways to bring excess produce to clients who need it. He explained how the efforts can start to connect families who need food with local farmers.

“We can introduce families to fresh vegetables that come from local farmers,” Coleman said, adding that the effort helps the farmers, as well.

Jones, who was picking up produce with her grandchildren in mind, said price poses an obstacle when she tries to buy fresh produce on a regular basis. Johnny Baggett, also of Meridian, agreed.

“It’s expensive,” Baggett said. “And I live on disability, so expensive matters.”

Baggett said he was pleased to have the chance to pick up the fresh produce for his grandson.

“It’s important because it’s not processed food,” he said, noting that it was healthier “than eating everything out of a can or a box.”

Wells, with UnitedHealthcare, acknowledged the difficulty of finding fresh, affordable produce in various parts of the state. And organizers of Tuesday’s distribution activity cited a 2016 America’s Health Rankings report that placed Mississippi 50th in the nation in overall health.

Wells also described a partnership he said was designed to make affording fresh fruits and vegetables easier. The partnership consists of the AARP Foundation, UnitedHealthcare, Kroger and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program, called Fresh Savings, enables people to use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets and participating Kroger stores at reduced cost.

Wells said he hoped the partnership sparks people to go beyond the help they receive when fresh produce is distributed at events such as the distribution on Tuesday.

“If you have your SNAP card,” he said, “don’t stop here.”