VeggieRx Fresh Food Prescription | High Desert Food & Farm Alliance

VeggieRx

VeggieRx is a fresh produce prescription program that improves healthy eating habits for individuals experiencing food insecurity and diagnosed with diet-modifiable disease. Historically, participants received fresh locally grown vegetables and fruits, nutrition education, and one-on-one support from HDFFA’s Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist. VeggieRx programming will not take place in 2022. Instead, HDFFA is focusing efforts on produce prescription program state advocacy and solutions for sustainability of future programming.

VeggieRx has temporarily been suspended. Please read the sidebar for more information.

VeggieRx participants eat more vegetables and fruits, experience less food insecurity, and feel more confident in their ability to stretch meals using fresh food and shop for produce on a budget. Since the program began in 2018, we have invested $85,623 in fresh food from local farmers, with a total impact of $148,985 on the local economy.

From 2018 to 2021, HDFFA has successfully operated this program; however, this work is funded through multiple grants that we apply for every year. In order for VegRx to be a sustinable program for our community, it needs to be embedded into the healthcare system – meaning that people can visit their doctor and bill insurance for fresh food. This would allow organizations such as HDFFA to sustainably work with our 100+ health care providers, multiple farmers and hundreds of residents.

For 2022, we are advocating for change within the healthcare system, and working with farmers to offer CSA’s for limited income residents. Supported CSAs includes subsidizing the costs for the consumer, working with farmers to provide our nutrition education materials, and connecting consumers to these farmers. If you are interested in learning more or participating, please email andrea@hdffa.org

“It gave me new heart healthy ideas. My family and I tried every recipe each week. All the fruit and veggies were always fresh. I even have gone to some of the venders stores since. I would like to say having 2 teenage boys we could of used a little more to go around.”

– 2020 VeggieRx Participant