Advocate fights food insecurity with farm

BARRINGTON — Advocate Health Care launched a new cross-county initiative to reduce food insecurity — and thereby improve health outcomes — for patients in-need across its Illinois hospital campuses.

This week, Advocate's Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington sent heads of lettuce and bunches of kale harvested from its 2-acre Smart Farm directly to Advocate Trinity Hospital's Food Farmacy, located on Chicago's South Side.

The Food Farmacy offers fresh fruits, vegetables and other staples to patients with metabolic conditions. Eligible patients must receive a prescription from their physician to enroll in the program.

“Everyone deserves access to fresh food that tastes good,” said Chris Cubberly, farm manager at the Smart Farm. “We harvested these vegetables yesterday morning, and today, they're in the hands of people and families who need them.”

Established in 2008 by community members, the Smart Farm is located on the Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital campus, and officially became part of the hospital in 2022. Beyond the Food Farmacy, the 2-acre farm donates fresh produce to four local food pantries and offers them to hospital teammates, patients and visitors at regular produce stands.