‘Farm-to-Table’ takes on new meaning at Banner Family Food Pantry

Better nutrition a priority in improving our community’s health

09/03/2024

To help address the growing problem of food insecurity among patients and the broader community, the Banner Family Food Pantry offers free fruits, vegetables, and healthy non-perishable food items. Open daily during office hours, the Food Pantry is available to anyone in need without any applications, qualifications, or restrictions.

Steven Brown, MD, program director of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix’s Family Medicine Residency Clinic, coordinates the food pantry efforts. “Some health systems and primary care offices provide food directly to food-insecure patients,” Dr. Brown explains. “Our Family Medicine Residency Clinic saw this need in our patients and started a food pantry to directly address this social determinant of health.”

Dr. Brown says patients have provided great feedback on how the food pantry is directly helping them, saying they feel supported by the ease of access to healthy food that aligns with a message received from their physician. One patient shared, “I just recently lost my job and I was under pressure—that’s why I’m here.” She added, “I’m glad I had a doctor’s appointment today and found out about this.”

One in 10 Arizona residents—or about 750,000 people—face food insecurity and nearly one-third of them are children. Food insecurity is also common in patients being seen in primary care offices, with many patients sharing that barriers include cost, transportation, and time. Life-changing events often led a patient to a food pantry in the community, where they would prioritize the nutrition needs of family members over their own.

Recognizing the correlation between health and access to healthy food, the Family Medicine Residency Clinic at Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix partnered with St. Mary’s Food Bank and Sun Produce to establish the Banner Family Food Pantry in April 2023. Since then, the pantry has served 2,992 households (9,125 individuals), an average of over 200 households per month. Each household receives fresh produce, most of it grown locally, and healthy non-perishables.

Funded by the Banner Health Foundation’s Highest & Best Use Award – an annual program that grants funds to innovative or new Banner programs in Arizona – the pantry is open every day in Banner’s Family Medicine Center on 12th Street near the I-10 in downtown Phoenix, making pickup convenient for those in most need.

“We could not do this without the support of donors to the Banner Health Foundation. It's incredible for this money to go directly to people most in need. We are so grateful to the Foundation,” Dr. Brown explains. “We are also training a generation of doctors to directly address social determinants of health, which account for 80% of health outcomes.” In the future, Dr. Brown hopes to expand the pantry to include other programs and departments.