November 2025 Health News

Reduce food insecurity and food waste this Thanksgiving

November 18, 2025

As Thanksgiving approaches, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who has contributed to the community food drive to this point. Your generosity has made a meaningful difference for local families, and our food pantry partners have expressed sincere gratitude for the increased support. The compassion you’ve shown reflects the very best of who we are: a community that steps forward, lifts others up, and understands the power of coming together.

While we celebrate the progress made, the need in our community continues. I encourage those who are able to keep this momentum going. The work to address food insecurity is a marathon, not a sprint. A few additional non-perishable items, dropped off at the Health Department or a local food bank, can help ensure no one is left without healthy and tasty options as the festivities commence, and winter sets in.

The holidays remind us that the shared human connection, whether through a warm meal, a shared smile, or an act of kindness, has the power to bring comfort and hope during challenging times.

As we care for one another, it’s also important to care for ourselves. Staying healthy this season means getting plenty of rest, finding ways to reduce stress, receiving seasonal vaccinations, and practicing good hand hygiene.

Let’s continue to give, connect, and protect one another as we close out the year with gratitude and a shared commitment to a healthier community for all.

Wishing you the healthiest and happiest holiday season,
Dr. Phil Bondurant

Feed the Need: Local Food Drive

Join Summit County Health this holiday season by helping our community members in need by donating to your local food drive. You can donate directly to any of our three local food pantries (food or monetary donations are welcome) or drop non-perishable items in the donation boxes at any county service building.

Feed family and friends this holiday season, not our landfills! 

Follow these simple tips to reduce food waste over the holidays:

  • Plan ahead for leftovers: provide to-go containers for your guests and anticipate what extra ingredients you'll have after hosting to try a new recipe!

  • Freeze what you can: store surplus food in your freezer to enjoy later. Use the National Center for Home Food Preservation for freezing guidelines.

  • Compost what's left: sign up for food waste collection with Momentum to divert any remaining food waste from the landfill.

And don’t miss these ways to save energy this winter:

  • Calibrate your thermostats to ensure accurate temperature readings to avoid unnecessary heating.

  • Replace air filters regularly to maintain HVAC efficiency while keeping the air in your home clean and healthy.

  • Keep air vents clear by moving furniture, drapes or other household items away from vents to improve air circulation .

For more resources to reduce energy this winter, check out the energy saving toolkits at the Summit County Library!

Show You Care — Spread Holiday Cheer

Make a Card, Share a Smile, Brighten a Senior Citizen’s Day!

This holiday season, help spread joy and connection to seniors in our community by creating a handmade card filled with cheer and kindness.

A lack of social connection can contribute to physical and mental health challenges—especially for adults age 60 and older, who are at higher risk for social isolation. The Prevention Team’s Senior Connections campaign aims to combat loneliness among local seniors while showing youth the importance of caring for others.

Through partnerships with South Summit Middle School art teachers, the Jeremy Ranch afterschool program, and Ecker Hill Middle School Latinos In Action, we’re ensuring a steady supply of cards to share through Meals on Wheels, local Lions Clubs, and other community organizations.

You can help, too! Card stations are available at:

  • All Summit County Library branches (Coalville, Kamas, and Kimball)

  • Park City Library

  • Health Department lobby at Quinn’s Junction

How to Participate:

  • Stop by a card station to decorate your card.

  • Each station includes blank cards, markers, stencils, and message ideas.

  • You can take your card home to mail, drop it in our collection box (addressed and with a return address—we’ll stamp and mail it), or leave it unaddressed for delivery to a senior in Summit County.

Card stations will be open from mid-November through December 8.

Together, we can make the season a little brighter—one card, one smile, and one caring act at a time.

Do you have a story to share about a personal experience related to health and the environment?

The Utah Health and Environment Action and Resilience Team (UHEART) is creating an online hub of stories, resources and data that connect our health to air, water and temperature changes in Utah. To send UHEART story ideas (just a sentence or two), share them with UHEART here or contact Lulu Blau at [email protected]. UHEART will contact you for further information.

Have you visited our disease dashboard?

Check out how Summit County stacks up against other areas in Utah and the rest of the country when it comes to diseases like measles, flu, RSV, and Covid-19. This is a great tool for the public that our epidemiologist, Nancy Porter, updates frequently.