Vouchers4Veggies Program Puts Research into Action
Vouchers 4 Veggies aims to increase access and affordability of healthy foods for low-income individuals and families by providing free vouchers for fruit and vegetables.
San Francisco’s Food Security Task Force estimates that 227,000 residents are at high risk of food insecurity.
“Food security” is the extent to which people have access to nutritious food to support an active, healthy life, and being food insecure indicates an inability to access that food. It is a major issue in Californian communities, and UCSF is no exception – up to half of the nation’s college students are at risk of struggling with food insecurity at some point in their college career.
UCSF has established numerous resources on campus to address UCSF student nutrition and food insecurity, such as the Food Security for Students (FSFS) program. This initiative includes the Food 4 UCSF Students app, which alerts students when there is free food available after a catered event on campus, and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, which provides emergency assistance and weekly groceries around San Francisco. Furthermore, the Student Food Market at UCSF offers fresh produce and healthy staples every Thursday afternoon, free of charge, and Student Health and Counseling Services provides healthy recipes and meal plans for students.