Veggie Rx Program

Gorge Grown’s Veggie Rx is a fruit and vegetable prescription program designed to address food insecurity and increase intake of fresh produce. The program empowers health care and social services providers to ‘prescribe’ vouchers to community members who screen positive for food insecurity (hunger).  Vouchers can then be used to purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at farmers markets and grocery stores.

How did Veggie Rx come about?

Recently, the Columbia Gorge Health Council’s Community Food Survey revealed epidemic hunger throughout all 5 counties of the Gorge.  Two discerning results that we learned:

• 1 in 3 Gorge residents worry about running out of food
• 1 in 5 Gorge residents miss meals regularly

Gorge Grown and partners sprung into action with Veggie Rx — a program that is quickly becoming a national model for bridging health care, non-profit and food system sectors.

How does it work?

Citizens are screened by 40 participating health care and social service providers. If they suffer from hunger, they are given a packet of vouchers worth $30 for one month to redeem at any one of  30 local groceries, farms stands, or farmers markets. This provides direct access to healthy, local produce to those that need it most while strengthening our economy by keeping dollars local.

Who is eligible to receive a Veggie Rx prescription?

Anyone that has screened positive for food insecurity by answering “yes” to either or both of the following screening questions:

• In the last 12 months, did you and the people you live with worry that you would run out of food before you were able to get more?
• In the last 12 months did you and the people you live with run out of food before you were able to get more?

Where can the Veggie Rx prescriptions be redeemed?

Redemption sites change throughout the year depending on the season.  Please see the list of current redemption sites listed in each packet of vouchers.  Redemptions sites include: 

All 10 Gorge Farmers Markets during market season

Hood River (winter) : Rosauers, Mercado Guadalajara, Farm Stand, Mothers’s Marketplace

The Dalles (winter): Grocery Outlet, La Michoacana

Goldendale (winter): Holcomb’s Sentry Market, Grist Mill

Stevenson (winter): A & J Select Market

Carson: Carson General Store

White Salmon (winter): Harvest Market (Thriftway), Dicky Farms

Klickitat: Canyon Market

Odell (winter): Mid Valley Market, Cody Orchards Farm Stand

Parkdale: McIsaac’s Market, Kiyokawa Family Orchards

Cascade Locks: Columbia Market

Dufur: Kramer’s Market

Maupin: Maupin Market

Our Distribution Partners: 

One Community Health Hood River

One Community Health The Dalles

Hood River County Health Department

North Central Public Health District

Klickitat County Health Department White Salmon

Klickitat County Health Department Goldendale

Klickitat County Senior Services White Salmon

Klickitat County Senior Services Goldendale

Skamania County Senior Services

Skamania County Health Department

Skamania County DSHS

Klickitat Valley Health Clinic

Mid Columbia Housing Authority

Providence Internal Medicine Clinics

Providence Family Medicine Clinic

MCMC Columbia Hills Family Medicine

MCMC Columbia Crest Family Medicine

MCMC Riverview Internal Medicine

MCMC Waters Edge Internal Medicine

MCMC Community Health Workers

Evergreen Family Services

Mid Columbia Children’s Council

Skyline Hospital

Oregon Child Development Coalition

Columbia Gorge Family Medicine

Deschutes Rim Clinic

Oregon State University Extension Services

Hood River DHS

Veggie Rx in the News:

Veggie Rx Evaluation: