Food as Medicine Initiative

Food is medicine.
We deliver both.

Teen Health is launching a Medically Tailored Groceries (MTG) program — assembling clinically validated food boxes and delivering them to Medi-Cal members, homeless youth, and young adults managing chronic illness across Southern California.

Support This Program How It Works

Food Insecurity in California

1 in 5

Californians experience food insecurity — over 8 million people

2.4M

Californians live in food deserts — low-income areas with limited access to healthy food

32%

Of food-insecure Californians are children — disproportionately in communities of color

58 counties

Every California county has communities where nutritious food is inaccessible or unaffordable

How the MTG Program Works

We partner with natural products companies to source clinically validated food, build medically tailored grocery boxes, and deliver them through Teen Health's established Southern California network.

Source the products

We partner with natural products industry companies to acquire clinically relevant food — anti-inflammatory oils, high-protein snacks, functional bars, and whole food staples.

Build the boxes

Each box is assembled for a specific chronic condition — diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or metabolic syndrome — with guidance from registered dietitians reviewing every inclusion.

Deliver to the community

Boxes reach recipients through Teen Health's existing network: assisted living centers, shelters, outreach programs, and managed care partnerships across San Diego and Los Angeles.

Build the evidence

Every delivery is logged and every recipient tracked. We build the real-world outcomes data that demonstrates food as medicine works — and positions Teen Health for government reimbursement funding.

What Goes in the Box

Every product is shelf-stable, clinically formulated, and sourced from mission-aligned natural products companies. No cold chain required.

Cold-Pressed California Oils

California-grown extra virgin olive oil and pure avocado oil — anti-inflammatory, heart-healthy, and diabetic-friendly.

Functional Snacks

High-protein, low-sugar snacks for food-insecure environments. Micronutrient-fortified and clinically validated.

Meal Replacement

Premium functional bars with adaptogens and clean macros — designed for chronic condition management.

Whole Grains & Seeds

Hemp hearts, quinoa, and ancient grains sourced from natural products partners. High fiber, high protein, and clinically relevant for metabolic health.

Plant-Based Essentials

Nut butters, legumes, dried fruits, and plant proteins for glycemic and cardiovascular support.

California Has Committed the Funding. We're Building the Delivery.

CalAIM — California's Medicaid reform — now pays health plans to deliver medically tailored food as a covered health intervention. Teen Health is positioning to participate as a community partner. Your contributions build the program infrastructure that makes this possible.

"Food is not a supplement to healthcare. For millions of Californians, it is the healthcare."

Teen Health, Inc. — Food as Medicine Program

Every dollar feeds a medically tailored box.

Teen Health is a California 501(c)3 nonprofit. All donations are fully tax-deductible. Your contribution directly funds product purchasing, box assembly, and distribution across Southern California.

$50

Funds one MTG box — 2 weeks of clinically tailored nutrition

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$250

Funds five boxes — one month of nutrition for a family

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$1,000

Sponsors a full month of MTG delivery for 20 individuals

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Custom

Name your contribution — every amount advances the mission

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Partner with purpose.

Corporate partnerships fund program infrastructure and outcomes research — and align your brand with the fastest-growing category in preventive healthcare.

Corporate Partnership Levels

Founding Partner — $25,000+

Named program sponsor · logo on all materials · co-branded impact report · board advisory seat invitation · priority product placement in MTG boxes

Program Partner — $10,000

Co-branded materials · quarterly impact reporting · recognition across Teen Health digital and print channels

Product Partner — In-kind donation

Donate product for inclusion in MTG boxes · tax-deductible at fair market value · co-marketed as a clinical nutrition partner

Get Partnership Details →

We're Looking for Product Partners

We source products from natural products industry companies that align with our clinical mission. If your company makes shelf-stable, clinically relevant food — we want to put it in our boxes and co-market you as a clinical nutrition partner.

Product supply partnership — what we're looking for

We work with food companies as product partners. Products are distributed to Medi-Cal members and food-insecure individuals across Southern California, with full distribution documentation and recognition as a clinical nutrition partner. Priority: California-grown, clean-label, shelf-stable, and clinically validated.

Inquire About Product Partnership →

Extra virgin olive oilAvocado oilProtein bars & snacksHemp hearts & seedsFunctional beveragesWhole grainsCanned wild salmon & sardinesNut buttersPlant-based proteinsDried fruits & legumes

Five years of serving those who need it most.

Teen Health, Inc. is a California 501(c)3 nonprofit with over five years of direct service to homeless and at-risk youth across San Diego and Los Angeles. We run dignity kit programs, outreach teams, and wraparound services for the populations most overlooked by the healthcare system.

The Food as Medicine program is a natural extension of that mission — applying clinical nutrition science to the communities we already serve, through the distribution infrastructure we have already built.

Years of direct service to homeless and at-risk youth across Southern California

SD+LA

San Diego and Los Angeles — shelters, assisted living, and outreach programs

501c3

All donations are tax-deductible. Registered nonprofit in California. EIN: 87-4628884.

MTG

Launching California's next medically tailored grocery program under an established nonprofit structure — now

Food is medicine.We deliver both.