WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Hannaford Supermarkets and the American Heart Association are partnering to build healthier Maine communities starting with the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen.
Thursday morning, guests received lessons and demonstrations on using blood pressure monitors. It comes as Hannaford has put twenty thousand dollars toward Maine areas in partnership with the American Heart Association.
They say that 23% of Mainers struggle to get food and 32% have high blood pressure. While providing meals is critical, organizers say it’s equally important to help people develop healthy lifestyle habits.
“People need to learn healthy ways of living and when you’ve been coping with just survival, thinking about your blood pressure or healthy eating is really probably not on their radar,” said Waterville Area Soup Kitchen Executive Director Carla Caron.
“We want our communities to be healthy for the long run so by bringing all of these educational materials together and bringing that education in to help support their wellness growth or what their wellness journey is, is really important to us,” added Community Impact Manager of Hannaford Sherri Stevens.
The blood pressure monitor will remain at the soup kitchen, along with logging charts, in hopes of creating healthy habits.
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