Peoples Bank Donates for Healthy Education

Peoples Bank has donated $25,000 to fund a partnership with Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi (DFM) to provide healthy food choice education programs in local elementary schools. According to the Diabetes Foundation of America, approximately 413,000 people in Mississippi have diabetes. That’s 1 out of every 7 people. Of these, an estimated 79,000 have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing their health risk. In addition, 810,000 people in Mississippi have prediabetes with blood glucose levels higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Every year an estimated 26,000 people in Mississippi are diagnosed with diabetes. DFM is the state’s premier nonprofit health organization working to prevent diabetes and associated complications. The best defense against diabetes is making healthy food choices from an early age. Peoples Bank, as a part of the CDFI Funds’ Healthy Food Finance Initiative, is excited to join DFM in its effort to improve the health of Mississippians, beginning with our children.

Pictured are (L-R): Mary Fortune and Irena McClain, DFM and Michael Tolleson, Peoples Bank