Skip to main content
Rural Health Information Hub
Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food – Models and Innovations

These stories feature model programs and successful rural projects that can serve as a source of ideas and provide lessons others have learned. Some of the projects or programs may no longer be active. Read about the criteria and evidence-base for programs included.

Promising Examples

Updated/reviewed March 2023

  • Need: To improve access to healthy food and physical activity in rural Alabama.
  • Intervention: Researchers hold focus groups with community members to identify issues of the most concern and then help them implement appropriate interventions like installing playground equipment.
  • Results: From 2014 to 2018, 14 coalitions implemented 101 interventions in 16 communities.
funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Updated/reviewed December 2019

  • Need: To educate youth about obesity and healthy lifestyle choices.
  • Intervention: An educational program about healthy living was implemented in Lincoln and Claiborne Parishes in Louisiana for youth ages 9-18.
  • Results: Youth4Health program produced greater awareness and participation in healthier lifestyles by target youth and their families, as well as church congregations.

Other Project Examples

Updated/reviewed August 2024

  • Need: Lakewood, Minnesota is classified as a food desert, where many rural families face food insecurity and low availability of both nutritious and affordable provisions.
  • Intervention: A collection of programs address food insecurity and the dietary health of members of the community, from children and families to older adults, supplying them with locally-sourced fruits, vegetables, and meat.
  • Results: Lakewood conducts around 50,000 food insecurity screenings each year. Fresh produce, meat, and other goods are distributed to roughly 140 families (around 500 individuals), 75 seniors, and 75 school-aged children annually.

Updated/reviewed June 2024

  • Need: To address food insecurity and limited access to healthy foods among Indigenous elders living in tribal nations in Wisconsin.
  • Intervention: The Tribal Elder Food Box Program distributes biweekly boxes filled with culturally relevant, locally-sourced meat, produce, and shelf-stable foods to elders in all 11 federally recognized tribal nations in Wisconsin – 10 of which are located in rural areas.
  • Results: In 2023, the program distributed 28,500 boxes and purchased a majority of food products from Indigenous producers and growers.
funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

Added March 2024

  • Need: To integrate healthcare with access to nutritious food in rural Vermont.
  • Intervention: The Bi-State Primary Care Association and three FQHCs created food programs: Medically Tailored Meals, Produce Prescriptions, and Social Grocery Store.
  • Results: These programs screen people for food insecurity, distribute food, offer health education sessions, and help people complete applications for other food programs.

Updated/reviewed January 2024

  • Need: To increase access to healthy foods in two rural Nevada counties.
  • Intervention: HCC and the Rural Health and Nutrition Initiative (RHNI) run food pantries, assist with community and school gardens, and have a farmers market during the summer.
  • Results: The three food pantries together serve about 3,600 people and distribute over 100,000 pounds of food each month.

Added July 2023

  • Need: To increase food security among low-income patients living with cancer and diabetes in rural Jefferson County, Washington.
  • Intervention: A local healthcare system partnered with a small organic farm to offer weekly produce boxes to eligible low-income patients.
  • Results: 10 patients participated in the Jefferson Healthcare prescription CSA program in 2022. In 2023, the program grew to serve 15 patients.

Added July 2023

  • Need: To improve access to healthy, affordable food for low-income families and children in Blaine County, Idaho in a stigma-free way.
  • Intervention: A truck that delivers free, healthy meals to kids in local neighborhoods and a farm stand selling fresh produce at heavily discounted rates.
  • Results: The Bloom Truck delivers meals to between 250 and 400 children each summer, with 1,599 meals served in June of 2023.

Updated/reviewed May 2023

  • Need: To encourage children to make healthy eating choices through learning and tasting.
  • Intervention: Brief, fun, and informative presentations and tastings for children on over 42 different fruits and vegetables.
  • Results: Participants are exposed to new foods and show more interest in healthy eating.
Last Updated: 8/15/2024