Kiwanis Club Learned About Growing Hope
Rhonda Bradon, a social worker from the WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital Oncology Department, joined the Barnesville Kiwanis for lunch on August 3 to share information about the department’s Mountains of Hope produce program called “Growing Hope”.
Three years ago, Mountains of Hope recognized a need for cancer patients across West Virginia to have access to fresh produce to meet their special nutritional needs. Wheeling Hospital agreed to participate in the program which was funded by the Mountains of Hope organization.
“So they (Mountains of Hope) found farmers who do not spray or use any chemicals,” Bradon said. “Everything is fresh out of the ground either the night before or that morning, sometimes still dirty.”
The first year, 10 patients received produce in season for a ten-week period. Now, seven hospitals within the WVU system have the Growing Hope program as a contract service provided by WVU Medicine. Wheeling Hospital Oncology Department provides 20 patients with produce bags for twelve weeks.
Reusable bags are filled with fresh seasonal produce, usually consisting of four items. “Above and beyond the produce, we provide information each week on storing and preserving it,” Bradon added. Healthy recipes are also included.
Bradon used the example of red beets. Patients learn that the leaves are also very nutritional. Beets can be frozen or pickled. One teary-eyed patient told Bradon they made pickled eggs for the first time in years.
“So being able to offer this program has been absolutely wonderful. Fresh produce is the best way to help someone eat healthy.”
Focused on the special and extra nutritional needs of cancer patients, the program is also a way to check the patient’s mental status when they pick up their produce bag each week.
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