At the Annex Teen Clinic, we know that access to nutritious food is healthcare. That’s why, as of June 2025, we now offer Food Rx in our clinic — a program designed to support patients who are experiencing food insecurity or could simply use help with meals.
This program allows young people to select up to 6 free, frozen, nutritious meals per person in their household per week at the Annex during their normal appointments. All patients need to do is heat the meals in a microwave and they are all set. We even have a microwave and utensils available in our lobby for the patients who are hungry and would like to eat immediately.
Most patients at the Annex are low-income and BIPOC, with 87% living in households facing economic hardship, including nearly half with no income. Recognizing that social determinants like food insecurity profoundly affect health, the Annex sought partnerships that would allow us to expand our services to support the needs of the young people we serve.
These meals are provided by Second Harvest Heartland’s Kitchen Coalition and stored in a freezer in our clinic purchased with support from the Hennepin County Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) — a Minnesota Department of Health led initiative.
We are here to provide comprehensive and judgement free support in our clinic. With this new Food Rx program, we can meet young people where they are and address their needs immediately, with no need to apply for support or wait for a delivery. If someone mentions not having enough to eat, worries about food for their family, or simply shares they’re hungry we can offer them support. We address needs at every step of the process by providing additional meals for the patient’s family members, assisting patients with getting themselves and their meals home safely, and can refer them to other food services for more diverse or long-term support. Additionally, if a patient is couch surfing or experiencing housing instability, we can store meals for them at the clinic, and they’re welcome to heat them up and eat in our welcoming lobby — no appointment or explanation necessary.
This program has been met with great enthusiasm from our patients. In the first two months, our clinicians distributed over 100 meals to the young people we serve, and we saw multiple people using the microwave in our lobby and received an increase in positive feedback related to food and nutrition in our Patient Experience Survey. We anticipate that the need for and excitement around the program will only increase as Annex staff and young people go back to school.
By embedding food access within our regular sexual health services, the Annex Teen Clinic offers an integrated model of care that addresses young peoples’ holistic health. The creation of this new program demonstrates how community collaboration and innovative solutions can improve the health and wellbeing of our community.
