FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Food & Friends Announces Partnership with FRESHFARM to Deliver Fresh, Local Produce to Seriously Ill Neighbors
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 6, 2024) – Food & Friends, a leading nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. which prepares and home-delivers 1.9 million medically tailored meals annually to several thousand households throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with FRESHFARM, a food system nonprofit and the largest operator of farmers markets in the Mid-Atlantic. This collaboration aims to enhance the nutritional value of Food & Friends’ medically tailored grocery offerings while supporting local agriculture and fostering community connections.
Food & Friends will source fresh, high-quality produce from the FRESHFARM Pop-Up Food Hub, its wholesale distribution program that delivers produce grown by its network of farmers to community organizations. By incorporating this locally grown produce into their medically tailored grocery program, Food & Friends seeks to improve health outcomes for their clients while contributing to a more sustainable and equitable food system.
The collaboration creates a pipeline directly from sustainable local farmers to the kitchen tables of nutritionally compromised individuals living with a serious or chronic illness served by Food & Friends. By shortening the supply chain and prioritizing local produce, the organization aims to provide the freshest, most nutrient-dense ingredients possible to support the health and well-being of those facing serious illnesses including HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes, renal and heart disease, and many others.
This partnership also reinforces Food & Friends’ community partnership and investment by supporting FRESHFARM’s network of producers; in 2023, 66% of the revenue generated by FRESHFARM’s wholesale program went to Black and Brown farmers.
Beyond the direct impact on their clients, Food & Friends sees this partnership as an opportunity to support the broader ecosystem of nonprofits working at the intersection of food and health in the Washington, D.C. region.
About Food & Friends: Food & Friends is the only community-based organization in the D.C. region providing home-delivered medically tailored meals and medical nutrition therapy to our neighbors living with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and other serious illnesses. Accredited by the national Food Is Medicine Coalition, Food & Friends’ services are free of charge to recipients who qualify solely based on their health status and nutritional needs. Monday-Saturday, including holidays, staff and volunteers deliver to 5,400 square miles including the District of Columbia, nine counties in Maryland, and seven counties and six independent cities in Virginia. Since 1988, Food & Friends has delivered more than 28 million meals to 47,000 individuals.
About FRESHFARM: FRESHFARM builds a more equitable, vibrant, sustainable, and resilient food system in the Mid-Atlantic region by producing innovative solutions to solve critical problems in partnership with local communities and organizations. We create food access, economic development, and thriving communities through hands-on education, farmers markets, and food distribution programs.
Media Contact:
Mike Schafer
Communications Manager
Email: mschafer@foodandfriends.org
Phone: (202) 269-6841