High Desert Food & Farm Alliance Expands Fresh, Local Food Access Over the Holidays

As 2025 comes to a close, grocery bills are at a record high and SNAP benefits are precarious at best. In light of these current circumstances, the HighDesert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA), a regional non-profit serving Central Oregon residents who experience food insecurity and supporting local farmers & ranchers, launched a special Winter VeggieRx program in partnership with Central Oregon Locavore, a non-profit grocery store and Bend’s only indoor, year-round farmers market.

VeggieRx is a fresh produce prescription program designed to provide fresh, locally produced fruits & vegetables to food insecure adults with a diet-modifiable disease. Eligible individuals are referred to the program by their healthcare provider and the program is provided at no cost to participants. During the session, participants receive weekly, bilingual nutrition education and recipes. The program’s goals are to alleviate foodinsecurity, promote healthy eating habits, and increase fresh food consumption, highlighting HDFFA’s belief that everyone deserves good food.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Clabough Foundation, VeggieRx participants will shop for fresh produce at Central Oregon Locavore over 8 weeks during the winter. Kim Cress, Central Oregon Locavore’s Market Manager shared, “It’s exciting to introduce more of our community to Locavore in a way that reflects our commitment to food access for all local families. Through programs like Winter VeggieRx, we’re able to connect more peoplewith local food. It’s an honor to be a good neighbor in my role and continually look for ways to expand food access for the community at Locavore. Providing local food to local people is core to our mission, so collaborating on Winter VeggieRx makes this programand its partnerships special. We’re proud to partner with the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance to expand our collective impact through Winter VeggieRx.”

As an exciting addition, due to the generous outpouring of community support during the SNAP crises last month, participants will receive funds to shop for locally-producedproteins, like meat, eggs and cheese. HDFFA is thrilled to pilot this protein offering which supports local ranchers, opens additional avenues in the program for protein intake, and provides participants an ability to stretch their grocery budgets even further during the holiday season.

“As the founder and executive director of Central Oregon Locavore, and as an RN and IBCLC with twenty five years of nursing behind me, I wholeheartedly support the Veggie Rx program led by High Desert Food and Farm Alliance. I have seen, again and again, how access to fresh, local food can transform health outcomes for individuals and entire families. In fact, this is the reason I founded Locavore, to increase our community’s access to nutrient-dense, real food, grown in our own region,” Said Nicolle Timm-Branch, Executive Director at Locavore. “VeggieRx is one of the most direct and compassionate ways to nourish our community, and I am deeply grateful for the care and integrity with which HDFFA stewards this vital program.”

VeggieRx participants express deep gratitude for the program. A previous participant noted, “…the program greatly reduced my financial stress by giving me a sense of securitythat I would have healthy, nutrient-dense food each week, an essential part of my recovery from chronic health issues…it has made a lasting difference in my life. This program has truly helped me choose foods that speak health and healing into my body.”

Due to the loss of federal funding, HDFFA faces a shortfall of $77,000 to operate its VeggieRx program in 2026. They’re turning to community support to raise private funds to fill the gap in funding in order to keep this vital program in place. HDFFA’s Executive Director, Kristin Points, reflects “We’re committed to doing all we can to sustain this program that improves the health and well-being of so many people in our community. Weknow we can’t afford to rely solely on uncertain federal funding, and investments from our community fuel innovation, collaboration, and the kind of local resilience that keeps good food accessible to all.” To learn more about HDFFA and to make a tax-deductiblecontribution, please visit HDFFA.org/donate.

The Winter VeggieRx cohort is at capacity at this time. If you or someone you know is interested in participating in a future VeggieRx cohort, please review the eligibility requirements and contact your medical provider for a referral.

This story is based on submitted information and has not been verified by our news team.