Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay Helps Distribute Food at Advocate Health Care’s Food Farmacy Day

Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay Helps Distribute Food at Advocate Health Care’s Food Farmacy Day. Photo credit: Advocate
Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay Helps Distribute Food at Advocate Health Care’s Food Farmacy Day. Photo credit: Advocate

 

Cubs’ Adbert Alzolay Helps Distribute Food at Advocate Health Care’s Food Farmacy Day

Alzolay was joined by Advocate Trinity Hospital staff and volunteers to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to more than 150 patients


Advocate Health Care and the Chicago Cubs partnered together Wednesday afternoon to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables and many smiles to Advocate Trinity Hospital patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. The event was part of Advocate Health Care’s Healthy Living Food Farmacy Day, which was held at Bethany Lutheran Evangelical Church on Chicago’s south side.


Guests on hand included Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Adbert Alzolay and Advocate’s Dr. Tony Hampton, who founded the program. More than 20 Trinity hospital staff and volunteers were also on hand to assist in handing out more than 2,600 pounds of food to more than 150 patients.


Adbert, a Venezuela native, understands the importance of proper nutrition and how having regular access to fresh fruits and vegetables can affect the health and well-being of families.


“Being able to come out here today, to give back like this, hand out food and put smiles on the faces of all these people means a lot to me,” Alzolay said. “My wife is a nutritionist, so I know first-hand how eating well and eating fresh foods can help with illnesses and for people like myself to perform their best on the field. Also just getting to interact with the fans as well, hand out food and take photos. It was a great experience and I’m glad I was able to be here today.”


Hampton has a busy family medicine practice on Chicago’s South Side and serves as Medical Director of Advocate Medical Group’s Imani Village location. When he’s not working directly with patients, Dr. Hampton takes a community-focused approach to reducing the disproportionately high occurrences of diabetes among Chicago South Siders. Dr. Hampton partnered with Advocate to establish the Food Farmacy for patients living in food deserts or experiencing food-insecurity due to low income. All Trinity physicians can refer food-insecure patients to the Food Farmacy. Dr. Hampton also is author of the book titled Fix Your Diet, Fix Your Diabetes, and an active contributor on social media, where he posts informational videos and healthy cooking demonstrations.


“Being a Lane Tech graduate, I’ve always been fond of the Cubs and seeing Adbert out here today really means a lot to myself, our staff and all of our patients,” Dr. Hampton said. “There is a correlation there between athletes, eating well and living a healthy lifestyle. So we’re happy to see someone like Adbert come out today and show his support behind what we are trying to accomplish here with our Food Farmacy program.”


The Food Farmacy is part of Advocate Health Care’s commitment to prioritize health equity gaps in Chicago’s Southland communities and offer fresh fruits, vegetables and other staples to Advocate Trinity patients with metabolic conditions. The program launched in 2018 at Advocate Trinity Hospital, before expanding a year ago to Advocate South Suburban Hospital.

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