New Program Prescribes Food as Medicine

A direct channel linking farm-fresh food donations to Petaluma Health Center patients

At Petaluma Bounty, integrating healthy food with preventive healthcare has long been part of our mission. Last year, that commitment took a powerful step forward when we partnered with Petaluma Health Center and Blue Zones Project Petaluma to launch Food is Medicine / Comida es Medicina—a program that connects fresh, local food directly to patients who need it most.

Produce from Petaluma Bounty’s Community Farm was recently donated to Petaluma Health Center for a separate effort — a nutrition class coordinated by Blue Zones Project Petaluma.

Building on our longstanding Bounty Hunters gleaning program — which recovers food that would otherwise go to waste — this new initiative created a streamlined pathway from farm to patient. A dedicated Bounty Hunter volunteer collected donated fruits and vegetables from the Petaluma East Side Farmers Market and delivered them to Petaluma Health Center. There, the Health Center team sorted and bundled the food and “prescribed” it—free of charge—to patients. Blue Zones Project Petaluma supported the effort by providing nutrition education and healthy recipes to accompany the produce.

In just three months—from October through December 2025—this collaboration distributed 431 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to Petaluma Health Center patients.

Volunteer plays key role

At the heart of this farmer-to-patient food pipeline is Sharon, a longtime Petaluma Bounty volunteer. After years of helping on our farm, Sharon joined the Bounty Hunters program as a farmers market gleaning volunteer. Soon, she became a key player and a familiar weekly presence at the Petaluma East Side Farmers Market.

Sharon collects produce donations from vendor.
Sharon hauls donated produce.
Vendor places donations in the collection create.
A trunk full of donated produce destined to the Petaluma Health Center.
Sharon hauls donated produce.

When the Food is Medicine program came together in the fall, Sharon stepped up as a one-woman brigade—collecting and delivering donated food to Petaluma Health Center every Tuesday.

Already a regular shopper at the East Side market, Sharon was eager to help meet a local need.

“Farmers market staff are wonderful and super supportive, and all the farmers have been supportive,” she said. “They see this as part of their cycle of work at the end of the day, and give what they can.”

“It’s been a great experience. I’ve met so many farmers and farmers market staff who care deeply about food equity and finding ways to make it work.”

Grateful for farmers market vendors and staff

We are proud to be part of this collective effort, and are grateful for our partnership with Agricultural Community Events Farmers Markets, which runs the Petaluma East Side Farmers Market and many others in the area. We are especially thankful to the farmers market vendors whose generous food donations make this program possible.

Join the movement as a ‘Bounty Hunter’ volunteer

As this collaboration continues to grow, we need more volunteer Bounty Hunters to help collect food donations at farmers markets. It’s a meaningful, hands-on way to support community health and food access.

As Sharon puts it: “You’re out in the community and making a huge impact, bringing quality food to those lacking access. Healthy food means so much. It keeps me healthy, keeps my family healthy, and keeps the community healthy.”

Email bountyhunters@petalumabounty.org if you are interested.

If you want to support this and other healthy food initiatives, please donate to Petaluma Bounty.