FARMINGTON — MaineHealth is offering a free one-year Food as Medicine program to support individuals with one or more chronic health conditions who have limited access to healthy food.

The criteria to be eligible for the program include those who: have limited access to affordable healthy food; are age 18 and older; have a chronic health condition; want to make healthy lifestyle changes; and have a MaineHealth primary care provider, which includes Franklin Health providers, according to a news release from Franklin Memorial Hospital.

The program is facilitated by trained health educators from the Healthy Community Coalition of Greater Franklin County. The next session is scheduled for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, and includes face-to-face and virtual classes.

The program will provide access to free healthy food (10 meals weekly for up to a family of four), peer support, goal setting, healthy cooking classes, recipes, and menu planning with a health educator. Participants will get helpful resources and information related to their chronic conditions.

“This new and exciting program is designed to meet people where they are at with their health, provide the right tools, skills and support to make small changes over time to feel better,” said LeeAnna Lavoie, coalition director. “Change can be hard, especially if people don’t have access to the right type of food to help keep them healthy. This program will provide the right food and teach skills to cook healthy, affordable, and most importantly, delicious food. All while being supported by others who are working on similar goals.”

The Food as Medicine Program is supported by Hannaford, MaineHealth, and Good Shepherd Food Bank.

For more information, contact Kathy Doyon at 207-779-2928 or [email protected] or David Scammon at 207-779-2435, or [email protected].

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