Eat Well, a Durham Program Fighting Food Insecurity, Receives $10 Million Investment

A Durham program that offers vouchers for fruit and vegetables announced Monday that it was allocated $10 million in North Carolina’s 2023 state budget, marking the largest investment ever made into a “produce prescription” initiative in the country.

Eat Well will use the infusion of funds to expand its work in helping people manage and prevent chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease by increasing access to nutrient-dense foods. The program, a branch of the nonprofit Reinvestment Partners, operates statewide and collaborates with insurance companies and healthcare providers to identify eligible participants.

“Our work is really supported by a broader advocacy strategy aimed toward getting the healthcare sector to be responsible and accountable for paying for food for people in the long term,” says Sam Hoeffler, director of food programs at Eat Well.

Eat Well participants receive prepaid debit cards each month to purchase $40 of fruit and vegetables from selected grocers, including Food Lion, Walmart, and Safeway.

A UNC study of the program found that participants typically double the amount of produce they were purchasing prior to enrollment.

“People don’t just use the debit card as a substitute for the money they would have originally spent on fruits and vegetables—they buy more,” Hoeffler says.

Barriers to healthy food access extend beyond the amount of cash that people have on hand. Some people live in food deserts. Others work long hours and have limited time and energy to cook.

In efforts to address other limiting factors, Eat Well has partnered with as many grocery stores as possible, Hoeffler says, and allows its vouchers to be used for frozen and canned produce in addition to fresh fruit and vegetables.

And there are tiers to the “food as medicine” model, she adds: While some organizations are focused on delivering healthy prepared meals or ingredients to people’s doors, Eat Well aims to  provide assistance in a way that maximizes agency and leaves room for personal preference.

“What we have found is that folks are actually really happy to have the choice,” Hoeffler says. “I think it’s kind of rare to kind of just get money to go buy whatever suits you.”

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