The Fresh Food Pharmacy program was developed in partnership with Grace Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Battle Creek, Michigan.
The program provides food as medicine to clients with chronic health conditions, to manage their health. This program is a strategic initiative of the Food Bank Council of Michigan. The funding for this program was obtained through the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. This program uses a Food as Medicine approach in addressing the critical role that nutrition plays in both the prevention and management of chronic health conditions and overall health. It uses a “prescription” of healthy meal cooking, nutrition coaching and education, and food supplements to improve the health of those in the program.
Patients at Grace Health are referred to the program based on certain criteria, they are provided six months of health coaching by staff at Grace Health, and supplements of fresh, healthy food provided by South Michigan Food Bank. Health metrics and behavior change data were captured before, during, and after the program, and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Overall, patients improved their blood sugar (A1C) and increased their fruit and vegetable intake.
The first pilot launched in March of 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a delivery model was used in which curated boxes of fresh food were delivered to patients. Using the findings of the first round, a second round was developed to learn more about the impact on patients and their health outcomes. It began enrolling its first patients in September of 2024.
The current program now has an in-house pantry at Grace Health instead of a delivery model. The pantry model gives participants the opportunity to choose their favorite healthy foods, allowing them to fit their food selections to their own preferences. It also allows for participants to get their food from the same place where they have medical appointments and nutrition coaching for the program. The results from this program will aid in informing considerations for programs like this in the future.
South Michigan Food Bank is proud to support our neighbors with chronic, diet-related health conditions with healthy food packs that support good health.
“It introduced me to using more fresh vegetables which helped a lot. I have more energy… it was a variety of different foods but I’ve really grown to like them and love them. In fact, it’s at a point now that I prefer to cook my food from fresh.” … Client
PARTICIPANT FOR FRESH FOOD PHARMACY
Healthy Food Packs through Medicaid In Lieu of Services
In 2025, South Michigan Food Bank began distributing Healthy Food Packs to clients enrolled in In Lieu of Services through their Michigan Medicaid plan. Michigan Medicaid allows plans to offer these healthy food packs to their clients through a program called “in lieu of services”, which allows healthcare plans to pay for foods supporting good health, in anticipation of savings in other areas (in lieu of services). The Medicaid plans and the Food Bank Council of Michigan work to enroll patients and refer them to South Michigan Food Bank to receive their Healthy Food Pack, which consists of nourishing canned and dry foods, and a combination of meats, dairy products, and fresh/frozen produce (or alternative). Through programs like this, we can provide nutritionally adequate foods to our neighbors in need.
South Michigan Food Bank aims to expand initiatives and programs with additional healthcare partners in the future.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a service that supports our local seniors who live in service counties where South Michigan Food Bank operates. South Michigan Food Bank includes fresh food supplements in addition to the CSFP foods provided by the USDA. Recipe and food information resources are developed by South Michigan Food Bank staff, and included with each box distributed.
Healthy Eating Research (H.E.R.) Nutrition Guidelines for the Charitable Food System
South Michigan Food Bank received a grant from the Partnership for a Healthier America to examine the nutritional value of the foods that we source and distribute. Sourcing nutritious foods at the food bank is a priority, and this project allowed us to gather information about the nutritional content of the many food items in our inventory.
Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults
