The City of Madison will soon be rolling out the “Fruit and Vegetable Prescription” (FVRx) project in partnership with the Northeast Family Medical Center, Willy Street Co-op – North, Second Harvest Food Bank’s HungerCare Coalition, Wholesome Wave Foundation and Public Health Madison Dane County.

The FVRx project is part of the city’s efforts to promote equitable access to healthful food through a wide range of food systems programs.

According to the Map the Meal Gap project, one in five children in southern Wisconsin are food insecure. Hunger can have a devastating impact on health, contributing to poor child development, impaired mental and physical functioning, and chronic disease such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The HungerCare Coalition will work with the Northeast Family Medical Center to educate health care providers about the signs of hunger and give them the tools necessary to empower parents and children to make nutritious food choices that lead to better long-term health. When trained to recognize the signs of hunger and poor nutrition, health care professionals can help to connect patients to food resources, including food assistance programs.

Thanks to a grant from the Wholesome Wave Foundation, FVRx will be another tool to support the nutritional needs of food insecure families. When children are diagnosed with food insecurity by their health care provider at NFMC, their families will be given vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables redeemable at the Willy St. Co-op North.

Public Health Madison Dane County will evaluate the impact of the project on children’s health and make recommendations for future potential expansion of the project to other areas of the city.

Thanks to all involved in this project.