New Hellman Foundation grant will enable food giveaway, nutrition education programs to double in size.
12/18/2023 – For San Francisco patient Macheryl Franklin, the food pharmacy at UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion has been nothing short of “a lifesaver.”
“It’s wonderful to have fresh fruits and vegetables; they are too expensive at the store,” said Franklin, as she rests her bag of groceries on the footstool of the wheelchair she’s used since a 2004 car crash injured her spine. “It’s a special treat when they have blueberries that I can put on my salads; they’re good for the brain.”
Blueberries were on offer this day in December, along with tomatoes, pears, carrots, lemons, garlic and a whole frozen chicken. As they packed bags for patients, volunteers and program lead Gina Moreno-John, MD, were talkative and upbeat, having learned their program just received a $3 million Hellman Foundation grant to expand to additional UCSF primary care locations in San Francisco over the next five years.
