LCS Services

Delaware Food FArmacy

Farmacy Logo.png

About this Program

We are collaborating with ChristianaCare, to provide an innovative solution for reducing the health disparities experienced by vulnerable communities and exacerbated by COVID-19. We minimize the barriers to equitable care through a new operating model that combines an LCS mobile Food Farmacy model with a multidisciplinary care team from ChristianaCare (primary care, behavioral health, nutritional counseling and a community health worker). As a result, high risk community members are provided with the food and support necessary for them to control their chronic conditions, all in a radically convenient way.

Each participant is enrolled in the program for 6 months, and LCS will provides enough healthy food for 10 meals per week for each participant, and each family member. Therefore, one family of four receives enough food for approximately 1,000 meals over the course of the program. Clients use an order form to select among fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meats, low fat dairy beans, grains and other items. This picture is of an actual order for a household of two. We have expanded our food sourcing to include wholesalers and fresh produce from Delaware farmers to meet the demand and provide specialty items.

LCS provides a welcome kit to each household based on a kitchen inventory survey. It will include items such as a quality chef knife, cutting boards, mixing bowls, measuring spoons, a colander and other essential kitchen items.  We will also periodically provide oils and spices.

Program Goals

We all know that there are a lot of benefits of the food that LCS provides to so many people. This program allows us to measure that impact more precisely. To do this, LCS is partnering with the Value Institute, the embedded research department at ChristianaCare. 

This program seeks to:

  • Assess the feasibility, acceptance and usage of the program by participants.
  • To gain a better understanding of the social determinants of health among at-risk adults beyond food.
  • To determine what it is required see a sustainable change in dietary behaviors among at-risk adults with comorbidities.
  • To evaluate how much more produce and health foods participants consume.
  • To measure the program impact on following health outcomes such as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and HbA1c for at-risk adults suffering from poorly managed diabetes and/or hypertension.

Another lens for our work is sustainability and scalability. Will the program lead to long terms success once participants leave the program? How can we scale this program to make it available more widely? Are there hybrid approaches that can be utilized in our LCS pantries? 

Through the Delaware Food Farmacy, we will be making a positive impact in people’s lives, and learning a lot about how we can better serve our food insecure clients

How You Can Help

To augment the fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains that we will be supplying we also need the following items:

  • Cooking spray
  • Olive and canola oils 32 ounce
  • Red wine vinegar 8oz
  • Balsamic vinegar  8oz
  • Lima Beans, 1 lb Package
  • Black-eyed Peas, 1 lb Package
  • Low sodium bouillon cubes chicken or vegetable 8 count
  • No salt almonds, walnuts, cashews, maybe 1 or 2lb bags
  • No sugar added, Craisins 15oz box
  • Natural peanut butter 16oz
  • No sugar added, Juice Powder Mix
  • No sugar added, shelf stable Orange Juice
  • Cinnamon Oat Square Cereal
  • Brown Rice, 1 lb bag / box
  • Grits, 24 oz container / 12, 1 oz packets

Initial support for the program comes from:

  • ChristianaCare
  • Highmark Health
  • New Castle County CARES Relief Act grant
  • Delaware-Maryland Synod
  • LCS supporters like you

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Get Started with LCS

Need assistance? Contact us and we will help get you started.

With your support, LCS can continue helping provide essential services to community members.