3/04/25 –
When Davron Jones’ therapist prescribed fruits and vegetables, he was skeptical. The 52-year-old Alameda, California, resident was struggling with depression and alcohol addiction, as well as diabetes and a heart condition. His therapist, who worked at a community health clinic in nearby Oakland, thought improving his nutrition could help.
In July 2023, she referred him to a three-month program called Recipe4Health, which would deliver boxes of fresh produce to his home and include weekly group health education sessions.
Jones had largely been subsisting on fast food. He hardly ever drank water, opting for soda, juice or alcohol. He wasn’t exercising, unless you counted bike rides to the liquor store. “My whole body was breaking down,” he said. “I knew it was bad for me. But when you’re depressed, you don’t really care.”
Then, boxes of lettuce, squash, apples and other fresh produce from a local organic farm began arriving at his doorstep once a week. Jones turned most of the vegetables into soups. Cauliflower was a mysterious novelty to him; a neighbor offered to sauté it for him. “I was like, ‘Wow, OK, this is what I’ve been missing my whole life.'”
