Through the Prescriptive Pantry program, Dare to Care partners with health clinics to provide nutritious food items to food-insecure families. Offering nutritious food helps physicians address medical problems and meet the whole health needs of their patients.
Physicians at participating health clinics ask families about their food security and offer pantry food to those who need it. Talking about food in a medical setting allows physicians to educate families about wellness and healthy eating by providing nutritious food to take home.
A participating pediatric provider shared, “Addressing social determinants of health is crucial to providing quality care to patients and families. Providing food immediately to families who have food insecurity is a tangible means of meeting a need that can have long-lasting effects; persistent hunger and malnutrition can negatively affect children’s growth, brain development, and school performance.”