Chicago Botanic Garden Spring 2020

30 chicagobotanic.org 3 ways Windy City Harvest makes a difference 1. Turnips, carrots, and a prescription for a healthier life with Veggie Rx If you had asked Je rey Williams three years ago if he likes beets, squash, or turnips, he probably would have laughed. Now, the North Lawndale resident has a new love for veggies. “ e stu ’s not bad. It just grew on me,” he said. Williams participates in Veggie Rx, a program that o ers free vegetables and nutrition training to help patients with diet-related diseases who are also food insecure. Veggie Rx is a partnership among the Chicago Botanic Garden, Lawndale Christian Health Center, and the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Chicago Partnership for Health Pro- motion, and is headquartered at the Farm on Ogden in North Lawndale. Williams goes to the Veggie Rx pro- gram at the Farm on Ogden every Wednesday. He picks up a bag lled with fresh vegetables grown and packed by trainees in the Garden’s Windy City Harvest program. He also receives food coupons and learns how to prepare the vegetables. “Everything in the veggie bag gets dealt with,” he said. “I’m hooked on ’em.” e 53-year-old said he was struggling with high blood pressure, kidney dis- ease, and acid re ux. His doctor at Lawndale Christian wrote him a pre- scription for Veggie Rx. at was three years ago. Since then, Williams said most of these issues have subsided, a fact he credits to Veggie Rx. “I make better choices,” Williams said. “I have a lot more energy. You always notice a di erence when you make a positive change.” Williams is a retired machine operator originally from Louisiana. His father was a farmer, and at dinner, the young- er Williams would try to sneak the veg- etables o his plate. His father would say “You can’t leave the table without eating your vegetables!” Now, one of Williams’s favorite things to make is lentil soup with peppers, carrots, and kale. “It’s heavy, lasts lon- ger, and I feel better,” he said. He also doesn’t go out to eat as much or eat heavy portions. His girlfriend—a nurse who is diabetic—has started to look forward to the produce bags Williams brings home, too. Williams also visits the Farm on Ogden retail store for half-price produce on weekends. Carrots are one of his favor- ites. “I feel blessed that the Farm on Ogden is here,” he said. Learn more chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture