At the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), we believe food should do more than nourish – it should uplift communities, support local economies, and advance health and food access. Thanks to the generous support of Builders Initiative for our overall work, we’ve taken a major step toward making that vision real and supporting our member agencies in their mission-driven work.
Thanks to funding from Builders Initiative, FIMC developed the Values-Based Purchasing (VBP) Resource Guide, a tool related to medically tailored meals and medically tailored groceries created specifically for Food is Medicine providers. This guide – available to our nonprofit member agencies – empowers them to align food procurement with mission-driven values – contributing to local economies, supporting farmers in their communities, and fueling clients with seasonal, local or hyper-local food that connects them to their surrounding community. For this work, FIMC had the opportunity to collaborate not just with our agencies but with the remarkable Julia Nelson, a graduate student intern from Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
As nonprofit organizations that provide medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries and nutrition services to people living with serious illness, FIMC members are on the front lines of both public health and food systems change. The VBP guide is a practical, evolving resource that helps agencies:
- Make the case for values-based purchasing to funders and stakeholders
- Build programs that reflect their priorities and communities
- Find and partner with local producers and food hubs
- Navigate procurement logistics with mission in mind
The investment from Builders Initiative in this work fuels more than technical assistance – it fuels a movement. Their belief in the power of food to heal, connect, and transform makes resources like this possible and strengthens our collective impact.
We’re deeply grateful for their partnership in this vital work.