Paula Wolfson, wtop.com

ROCKVILLE, Md. – Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the African-American community, and one local county is fighting back with good food, exercise and fellowship.

Lewis Rhodes is a member of a unique dining club in Montgomery County called the Diabetes Dining Club.

“I look forward to this and I am certainly thankful they have this available to us,” says Rhodes.

Linda Goldsholl says the dining club was designed to support diabetic patients in the area. She runs the county’s African American Diabetes Education program.

“I think we are having a tremendous impact,” says Goldsholl.

Montgomery County’s African American Diabetes Education program has three dining clubs located in Rockville, Silver Spring and Gaithersburg. Residents can sign up for the club through the African American Diabetes Education program website.

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)