DHIC, Inc. has just been approved as a new member of the Housing Partnership Network (HPN), a business collaborative of the nation's leading housing and community development nonprofits. Working together, the HPN builds and finance affordable homes, revitalize communities, and provide economic opportunity that improves the lives of millions of lower income and working families. The success of HPN is built on peer exchange and learning among top leaders in the field, business innovation and private-sector partnerships, performance benchmarking and success measures, and the creation and advocacy of a public policy agenda. The board of directors is comprised of senior leadership from network organizations.

Click here to learn more about HPN.

Last month, a small crowd formed inside the Garner Wal-Mart. It wasn't a crowd made up of bargain hunters or coupon enthusiasts, but of community volunteers and residents from Brookridge, a supportive housing community developed by DHIC. The residents came to Wal-Mart for a "Shopping Matters" tour, sponsored by the Wake County Health Department's "Fit for Life Program." The program, which is run by volunteers from the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, focuses on educating individuals about healthier living and providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to live more health-conscious lifestyles, thereby cutting back on health-related expenses, such as medications and trips to the doctor.

Last month's leader of the Shopping Matters Tour was Sarah Maria Burch, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle volunteer. Burch started the tour in the produce section, where residents learned how to study unit prices for the best deal on produce, how to weigh the health benefits of frozen vs. pre-packaged items, how to reduce sodium in frozen and canned vegetables, and much more. She then led the group to the bread and meat isles, where she shared more healthy buying tips.

At the end of the tour, Brookridge residents were given a $10 gift card and a calculator and then sent on their way to test what they learned. Up for the challenge, Brookridge resident, Toni Campbell, shopped the isles and successfully identified the best purchase value between wholegrain oatmeal and wholegrain bread. "Learning how to buy according to unit price really helped me. I think that I can save a lot more money now."

Campbell's good friend and fellow Brookridge resident, Beverly Bunch, recalled getting sick in the very same store months prior, an event that led to her being diagnosed with high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. "Because of my health problems, I really need to watch the sodium and fat content in what I eat and was surprised to learn how much sodium and fat were in some of the foods I typically purchase," Bunch said.

Campbell and Bunch weren't the only participants who learned some important lessons. In fact, all of the attendees successfully completed the challenge and went home better informed and prepared to live a healthier life.

Click here to learn more about Brookridge - DHIC's supportive housing community.

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DHIC, Inc.
113 South Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
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