For families across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a box of groceries can mean more than a full pantry. It can mean fewer trips to the emergency room and one less thing to worry about.
That's the idea behind FoodRx, a program run by Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) that pairs local health clinics with fresh food and nutrition support for neighbors facing hunger. Since 2021, the program has connected thousands of patients to food boxes, nutrition education and other resources right where they already go for care.
"[FoodRx] helps me a lot right now because my husband is working very little right now, and I have five kids, so it helps me make snacks and give them something to eat," one program participant, identified only as a FARSB neighbor, said in a statement.
That kind of everyday relief is now getting national attention. FARSB's FoodRx program is featured in the Food as Medicine 3.0 (FAM3) report, the largest national evaluation of its kind linking food banks and health care providers, released July 8 and funded by Anthem Blue Cross Foundation.
The report found that pairing food assistance with health care support led to real health gains for participants nationwide, including a 14% drop in hospitalizations and an 11% drop in emergency room visit rates. Food security among participants rose nearly 7 percentage points, a 47% improvement over baseline.
"FARSB's FoodRx program included in this report cements the need for better nutrition in food assistance and showcases that providing proper food for our communities is essential to better overall health," Vanesa Rangel-Mercado, FARSB's interim CEO, said in a statement. "Our neighbors deserve the food they need to be healthy, and this showcases the need for this model on a larger scale."
Locally, FARSB partners with CareMore Health, Loma Linda VA Hospital, Riverside University Health System (RUHS) and Riverside Free Clinic (RFC) to screen patients for food insecurity and connect them to nutritious food, nutrition counseling and other community resources.
"I am so honored to be leading the nutrition program at [Riverside Free Clinic] where we serve about 30 patients at each clinic, offered twice a month, providing them with nutrition counseling, workshops, and resources, which include information about other food pantries and the FoodRx boxes," Kianna Le, FoodRx partner at RFC, said in a statement.
Between April 2023 and December 2025, 6,040 patients received food through FoodRx locally, and 10,237 were referred to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), according to FARSB.
A survey of 48 local participants who completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires found encouraging signs of progress: a 9% improvement in daily fruit and vegetable intake, a 7% drop in food insecurity, and 37% fewer emergency room visits. The share of participants who said they had delayed or missed medical care because of cost fell from 36% to 26%.
"We've actually been featured in the national report for Food as Medicine from the national network, which is solidifying our healthcare partnerships as referral partners for our FoodRx program," Rachel Bonilla of FARSB said in a statement. "The final report for our particular program is showing great numbers for neighbors in the program."
"We're very proud of how this program showed that food banks are trusted partners to healthcare clinics and cemented how food can be an aid to better health outcomes for individuals and their community as a whole," Bonilla said in a statement.
FARSB has been a fixture of the Inland Empire since 1980, when it opened as Survive Food Bank. Today, the organization says it serves as the primary food source for nearly 250 local nonprofits, distributing more than 3.3 million pounds of food each month to pantries, soup kitchens, schools, senior centers and after-school programs across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
More information: Neighbors who want to get involved, whether through donating, volunteering or partnering with FARSB, can learn more at feedingamericaie.org/getinvolved.
