Windy City Harvest Programs
VeggieRX
Veggie Rx
About the VeggieRx Program
VeggieRx is an innovative program that provides free locally grown produce to residents with diet-related diseases who are also food insecure. We partner with health care providers who offer residents a positive and empowering solution to better health: a prescription for eating more fruits and vegetables.
With their prescription in hand, residents are eligible to receive free boxes of fruits and vegetables along with weekly nutrition education and cooking lessons from the Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion and Good Food is Good Medicine.
VeggieRx has grown tremendously since its start in 2016. The program now has distribution sites across the west side of Chicago. In 2024, more than 25,000 VeggieRx boxes were distributed to more than 3,000 participants.
The produce is grown by trainees from Windy City Harvest and beginner farmers, who not only gain valuable support and resources from the program but also get the chance to sell their crops in a broader marketplace.
VeggieRx was developed by the Chicago Botanic Garden, Lawndale Christian Health Center, Good Food is Good Medicine, and the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion.
Windy City Harvest
Programs
Youth Farm
Apprenticeship
Corps
Veggie RX
Therapeutic Horticulture
Farm Incubator
“VeggieRx is a program that allows us to write prescriptions for food for our patients. In North Lawndale, for instance, the rate of diabetes is 50 percent higher than the national average; 41 percent of our residents have high blood pressure. Rather than address their medical problems with a pill, we are introducing lifestyle changes to impact health. Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are directly related to what we eat.”
— Dr. Wayne Detmer, chief clinical officer, operations, at Lawndale Christian Health Center
VeggieRx Goals
- Increase vegetable consumption for SNAP/LINK-enrolled individuals with diet-related illnesses
- Eliminate or reduce barriers around fruit and vegetable consumption
- Build awareness about farmers’ markets
- Improve health outcomes for all participants
- Serve as an equity market channel for beginner farmers
What's included in a VeggieRx box?
VeggieRx participant survey results stated that price was the number one barrier preventing access to fresh fruits and vegetables. More than 90 percent of participants said they eat more than half their VeggieRx produce weekly.
Example contents:
- 1 bundle of kale
- 1 bundle of collards
- 1 bundle of beets
- 2 cucumbers
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 squash
- 2 onions
Survey Says...
“Since eating more fruits and vegetables I have lost weight and my appetite towards vegetables has changed. I used to eat a lot of sweets, and I’ve learned how to swap out cookies and cakes for apples and oranges. It's much healthier. It helps to have these around the house otherwise I would default to cookies and cakes.” — VeggieRx Survey Participant
“With VeggieRx I was able to get off the pre-diabetes medicine, which wasn’t overnight but happened over time. I have also learned how to cook vegetables in new ways. Videos were really helpful during the pandemic. I have lost weight too." — VeggieRx Survey Participant
Contact Information
Location: Farm On Ogden
Address: 3555 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago IL
Manager: Ketaurah James
To find out if you are eligible for the program call (224) 531-7469.
