Reno County Health Department provides holiday meals to 17 families

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Health Department distributed Christmas food baskets to 17 families enrolled in its Maternal Child Health program, officials said this week.

Department staff organized the food drive to provide holiday meals to program participants. Each basket contained a turkey, canned vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, snack cakes or cookies, summer sausage, cheese, sparkling cider, a popcorn tin, dinner rolls and a gift card to Jackson's Meat.

The initiative was funded through food and monetary donations from health department employees. Tyson Foods in South Hutchinson provided 12 of the 17 turkeys.

The Maternal Child Health program offers prenatal visits during pregnancy and home visits for infants up to one year after birth. The program, supported by grant funding, aims to ensure pregnant women and newborns receive medical support and monitoring.

The health department also administers the Women, Infants and Children program, which provides food benefits to pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women. The federal nutrition program has been linked to improved pregnancy outcomes, according to public health research.

Information about the Maternal Child Health program is available at renocountyks.gov/Maternal-Child-Health.