The Food is Medicine Movement
National Food is Medicine Day raises awareness of embedded barriers to healthy food access for under-resourced families and individuals that exacerbate chronic disease, increase mental health challenges, and drive up medical costs.
We compiled a list of organizations involved in the Food is Medicine Movement in one way or another. According to the Food is Medicine pyramid created by FIMMA, in order to be involved, they must cater to at least one of these 5 categories.
Emergency Food Programs, WIC, SNAP
Population-Level Healthy Food Programs
Nutritious Food Referrals
Medically Tailored Food Packages
Medically Tailored Meals
*Please note, this list is not exhaustive of organizations involved in the Food is Medicine Movement.
Food is medicine for more diseases than just food allergies, celiac disease, and EoE. The sooner we can get people healthy food, the sooner we can improve public health and put people on a more equal playing field. That is why the Food is Medicine Movement is so vital to us all.
The Food is Medicine Movement
Community Servings
Community Servings provides home-delivered meals and nutrition services to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses. Our made-from-scratch meals are medically tailored – meaning they’re customized to meet the nutritional and medical needs of our clients who are fighting illnesses like HIV/AIDS, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, and many others.
Programs: Medically Tailored Meals for the Critically Ill, Nutritional Education & Counseling, Food Service Job-Training Program
Location: Massachusetts
Food Outreach
Food Outreach is the only St. Louis area organization whose mission is to provide nutritional support and enhance the quality of life of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS or cancer. We strive to serve each client with as many as two meals per day, year-round, from a combination of made-from-scratch meals and groceries, and/or nutritional supplements. Our focus is on balanced and individualized nutrition.
Programs: Nutrition Education & Counseling, Meals & Groceries, Meal Delivery
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Mom’s Meals
Mom’s Meals knows that every individual has unique needs, and we believe they deserve accessible nutrition that can improve health outcomes. We serve clients who are covered under Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid plans, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) programs or the Older Americans Act, and by individuals or their caregivers who are looking for a self-pay program.
Programs: Nutritionally Tailored Meal Delivery
Location: Georgia, Iowa, Nevada, Ohio
Food For Thought
Food For Thought is a part of the California Food Is Medicine Coalition (CalFIMC), which implements programs to address the nutritional needs of California’s most vulnerable, critically ill, and high-healthcare utilizers. All clients are welcome to receive weekly groceries, vitamins and dietary supplements, and nutritional counseling. We deliver groceries to clients who are homebound due to illness, lack of transportation or isolation due to COVID-19.
Programs: HIV Nutrition Program, Welcome Home Nutrition Program, COVID-19 Nutrition Program, Bags of Love Nutrition Program
Location: California
Wholesome Wave
Wholesome Wave has been making fruits and vegetables affordable to low-income Americans since 2007. It has partnered with Community-Based Organizations, in the places they call home, by bringing powerful concepts and seed funding to co-design program approaches that work best for their community.
Programs: Prescription Produce Program, Healthy Choice Initiative, SNAP Doubling
Location: Across the United States
FEAST
FEAST provides free and immediate access to fresh, whole foods through a food scholarship, enabling families to experiment with healthy recipes at home. We partner closely with healthy food retailers, farmers’ markets, and CSA programs to provide vouchers for fresh produce each week.
Programs: Wellness Program
Location: California
Dreaming Out Loud
Dreaming Out Loud is rebuilding urban, community-based food systems through cooperative social enterprise: increasing access to healthy food, improving community health, supporting entrepreneurs and cooperatives from low-income communities; and creating opportunities for at-risk residents to earn sustainable, family-supporting wages and build wealth.
Programs: Farm & Food Hub, DREAM Program
Location: Washington, DC
Operation Food Search (OFS)
Through food distribution, nutrition education and innovative programs that address the overall health of individuals and communities, OFS is working beyond immediate hunger relief to create lasting change. We empower children and families with access to fresh food, cooking skills and resources that promote self-sufficiency.
Programs: Operation Backpack, Out-Of-School Meals, Operation Chef
Location: Missouri, Illinois
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budget of needy families so they can purchase healthy food and move towards self-sufficiency.
Location: Across the United States
National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
NSLP is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low-cost or free lunches to children each school day.
Location: Across the United States