More than one in three people would like to eat healthier, but do not do so because it is not possible or is simply too expensive, research shows. In the Groeituin 013, healthy eating and being together are made easier, and Danny, who lives in the homeless shelter, notices this. “I’ve been doing a lot better since I’ve been here.”
The Central Bureau of Statistics conducted research into the reasons for people to choose food that is less healthy. Almost half of people who would like to eat healthier (46%) find it difficult to give up unhealthy food when stressed. A slightly smaller proportion (43%) find it difficult to leave unhealthy food at home and 17% indicate that they cannot afford healthier food.
Free vegetables
These people can go to the GroeiTuin013 in Tilburg. The group of more than 100 volunteers who work in the vegetable garden consists of enthusiasts and people who need supervised daytime activities. Additional advantage: if you work in the vegetable garden, you can take the vegetables with you for free.
Among them are several people who do not have the money to buy vegetables themselves. “People don’t say that right away, but it often becomes apparent after a few conversations,” says Susan van den Nieuwelaar of GroeiTuin013. “We notice an influx of people who can make good use of the vegetables they can take with them.”
Organic and healthy
One of the volunteers in the vegetable garden is Danny. He lives in a homeless shelter, and because he has a WIA benefit, there is no room to buy an occasional extra. That’s possible here, Danny takes some vegetables home every time.
“It costs nothing and is all organic and healthy,” says Danny. And that clearly has an effect: “It has made me eat a lot healthier.”
Poverty stress
Van den Nieuwelaar also emphasizes the social aspect of the vegetable garden. “It is also a place to leave the stress of poverty behind you. Your network, your social circle, that too often becomes smaller if you have less money. But everyone comes together in the vegetable garden.
Does that also apply to Danny? “Definitely, I’m doing a lot better since I’ve been here. It’s a really relaxing place!”