Everyone’s Harvest (EH) implements multiple Food is Medicine programs in Monterey County, providing local produce to families with low incomes experiencing nutrition insecurity. Fresh Rx partners with physicians to provide weekly produce prescriptions at farmers markets in Salinas, Marina, Pacific Grove, Seaside, and Castroville–taking Food is Medicine from theory to practice. The program allows doctors to prescribe fruits and vegetables to patients with diet-related diseases, thereby providing local produce to nutrition-insecure families, improving health outcomes, potentially reducing long-term healthcare costs, and supporting sales by local farmers.
The EH model of integrating food and nutrition interventions into preventive healthcare contributed to Medi-Cal health insurance supporting Fresh Rx as medically supportive food. Thanks to MC Gives!, Fresh Rx has expanded from a seasonal to a year-round program, serving over 600 patients in 2026 through established healthcare partnerships and expansion to new collaborations, including enrolling Medi-Cal members. Participants in Fresh Rx experienced significant decreases in average blood sugar (A1c levels) and BMI.
EH’s complementary programs–Market Match and Edible Education–have increased match amounts for CalFresh families and delivered new nutrition education programming year-round, respectively, improving health with locally grown produce.
Over the past 10 years, Everyone’s Harvest has provided more than $4 million in Healthy Food Incentives through these innovative community food programs to address inequities in food access and nutrition. So far, over 3000 patients and their families have benefited from the Fresh Rx program, and that totals over $1.3 million of Food is Medicine.
At our six farmers markets, families can use public food assistance benefits to expand their buying power through CalFresh and Market Match ($30 of CalFresh = $60 of fresh produce at all Everyone’s Harvest markets)!
Our Edible Education in-person programs grew this year, bringing local chefs to our farmers markets to provide cooking demos and tastings featuring healthy produce, nutrition education, and resources to find affordable food at our markets and throughout the county.
Our farmers markets serve more than 2,900 families each week in Salinas, Marina, Pacific Grove, and Seaside. Local family farmers and food artisans connect directly with customers. In 2026, Everyone’s Harvest has hosted 274 farmers’ markets, helping thousands of local families to improve their nutritional health.
This past year, MC Gives! funds were used to fuel the growth of our community food programs, especially the Fresh Rx produce prescription program to advance Food is Medicine.
During this season of giving, please help mobilize Food is Medicine by contributing to Everyone’s Harvest. Thank you!