Food Bank of Delaware Completes Food is Medicine Accelerator, Prepares to Launch Pilot Program

July 8, 2026

The connection between food and health has never been clearer. Across the country, healthcare providers and community organizations are increasingly recognizing that access to nutritious food can play a vital role in preventing and managing chronic disease.

To help advance this work in Delaware, the Food Bank of Delaware recently completed the Food is Medicine Accelerator, an intensive six-month program designed to help organizations build sustainable Food is Medicine initiatives.

The experience equipped the Food Bank with the tools, guidance and strategic framework needed to move from concept to implementation as it prepares to launch a medically tailored meals pilot program.

The Food is Medicine Accelerator brought together organizations from across the country to develop comprehensive plans for implementing Food is Medicine programs.

According to Food Bank of Delaware Community Nutritionist Leah Brown, who participated in the accelerator alongside Chief Development Officer Larry Haas, Chief Impact Officer Anna McDermott and Vice President of Finance Sherry Garris, the program challenged participants to think through every aspect of building a successful initiative.

“The accelerator used to be a 12-month program, but our cohort was the first to complete it in six months,” Brown said. “I started calling it a six-month intensive because that’s really what it was.”

Throughout the program, participants met regularly, completed assignments and developed key deliverables that ultimately culminated in a comprehensive business plan.

While the Food Bank team possessed much of the knowledge and expertise needed to pursue a Food is Medicine program, Brown said the structured guidance was invaluable.

“They really made you think about every part of the process,” she said. “We have a lot of knowledge and a lot of skill sets between all of us on the team, but having that guidance and hand-holding to really understand what it takes to create a program like this was incredibly beneficial.”

The accelerator also provided opportunities to collaborate with peers from across the country.

“You gain so much from your cohort,” Brown said. “I always enjoy networking, getting to know others and bouncing ideas off one another as we all go through the process together.”

One of the accelerator’s major outcomes was the completion of a comprehensive business plan outlining how the Food Bank can build a sustainable Food is Medicine program.

The organization’s focus will be on medically tailored meals.

The next step is moving from planning to implementation through a pilot program.

The Food Bank is working toward launching the pilot in early 2027, with an initial goal of serving approximately 50 participants. According to Chief Development Officer Larry Haas, the launch phase will be funded through braided philanthropic dollars to build out capacity and operating infrastructure. Once the pilot is up and running, the goal is to receive reimbursed funding for prescribed nutrition access.

Before the pilot begins, several important pieces must come together, including identifying the healthcare partner or referral source, determining the target patient population, finalizing the menu of medically tailored meals and determining meal preparation techniques and delivery logistics.

The team is also refining a pitch deck that will help communicate the program’s vision and engage potential healthcare partners.

While much work remains, completing the Food is Medicine Accelerator is a significant milestone.

The Food Bank now has a roadmap for building a program that not only addresses hunger but also improves health outcomes by providing nutritious, medically appropriate meals to individuals living with chronic health conditions.