{"id":18183,"date":"2023-05-15T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodmedcenter.org\/?p=18183"},"modified":"2023-05-12T19:33:35","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T23:33:35","slug":"food-as-medicine-spotlight-vouchers-4-veggies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodmedcenter.org\/es_do\/food-as-medicine-spotlight-vouchers-4-veggies\/","title":{"rendered":"Vouchers 4 Veggies: Produce Prescription Program Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vouchers 4 Veggies: Produce Prescription Program Spotlight<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What they do:\u00a0<\/strong>The\u00a0Vouchers 4 Veggies produce prescription program<\/a>\u00a0partners with health care, local government, philanthropy, and community-based organizations to provide fruit and vegetable vouchers or restricted-spend produce debit cards to low-income, food-insecure individuals, those who have or are at risk for a diet-related chronic illness, seniors, pregnant people, and\/or families with children. For six months, participants receive $20 to $110 (depending on household size) worth of vouchers or funds loaded on their produce card. Participants decide what produce to purchase and where and when to redeem their vouchers\/produce card from the partner vendor network of grocery stores, corner stores, and farmers\u2019 markets in the neighborhoods where participants live.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evidence-based program began in 2015 in San Francisco with the name EatSF. Vouchers 4 Veggies (V4V) has since scaled to multiple urban and rural geographies across the nation, showing consistent positive outcomes including significant improvements in food security and healthy food intake in each replication. The program also receives more than 90 satisfaction ratings from participants and partner organizations. The program\u2019s current goal is to integrate into healthcare so that its community-responsive produce prescription solution can be contracted through healthcare as a covered benefit in healthcare plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of V4V\u2019s innovation is its unique partnership with San Francisco Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)<\/a>. Pregnant people who enroll in SFWIC are also automatically enrolled to receive nine months of V4V\u2019s fruit and vegetable benefits. V4V is working with local government and other funders in hopes of extending these benefits to a 12-month period to impact postpartum health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional tools, including healthy eating tips, recipes, and San Francisco food resources, are available through an online participant portal<\/a> for those who have internet access. Distributing partners may also choose to provide their own printed materials or nutrition education tips to their own participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How they do it:<\/strong> V4V reaches participants through partner organizations that are staffed by community members who participants know and trust. Each partner organization determines its own eligibility criteria and distribution schedule. Vouchers and produce cards can be redeemed at a large selection of participating retailers and can be mailed or distributed in person. There are three different types of vouchers\/cards that participants can receive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n