Operation Food Search invited Fair Shares to be the food provider in a new Fruit and Vegetable Prescription program they created at the CareSTL Health clinic. This pilot, along with the Fresh Rx program, is another great food-as-medicine resource that Fair Shares is excited to be involved with. Here’s how it works:
– Each week, an Operation Food Search dietitian conducts a recipe demo using one or more of the ingredients from the Fresh Fruit & Veggie Box.
– All CareSTL Health clients are able to participate in the recipe demonstration and sampling.
– Patients with a Fresh Fruit & Veggie Prescription from their doctor will be able to claim a bag of Fair Shares produce. The “Prescription” include six “tickets” on it, one to redeem each week.
OFS provides a simple nutrition-related handout each week on a topic relevant to diabetic and hypertensive patients.
Participants in the program will fill out surveys and we are hoping that health improvement results might make this pilot project a viable ongoing program.