Sept. 11, 2026 –– Brenda Corrujo Orraca carefully browsed the pantry shelves, turning items over –– a sleeve of unsweetened applesauce, a bag of oats –– to scan the nutrition label before gently placing them in a bag at her feet. A medical student pointed her to the boxes of fresh produce set up on a table outside the blue Mobile Food Pharmacy bus. She weighed the full paper bag and handed it back, giving Orraca a survey instead of a receipt.

“It’s like a Christmas present,” Orraca said.

The Mobile Food Pharmacy operates as part of the University of Florida’s Equal Access Clinic Network, a group of student-run clinics that provide free healthcare to underserved communities. Since its founding in 2024 through a grant from the Florida Blue Foundation, the Mobile Food Pharmacy’s bus has parked in food deserts across Gainesville to distribute fruits, vegetables, meat and other nutritious foods to current Equal Access Clinic Network patients at no cost.

Orraca, who is staying with a friend in Citra, Florida, while searching for a new job, was excited to hear the refrigerated bus offered vegan options. After catching a ride to her appointment, she stocked up on replacements for essential groceries she had been stretching for weeks prior to her visit.

Lucy Guerra, M.D., M.P.H., who has run the program since 2024, explained that eating healthy is easier said than done for many patients. Lack of transportation, high living costs and other social barriers can contribute to food insecurity and make it difficult for patients to care for their chronic conditions.

This connection between food access and general health is often overlooked by physicians, said Guerra, who is a professor in the UF Department of Medicine.

“Medicine as a whole underestimates how important food security is to a patient’s health,” she said. “We can tell them to take insulin and tell them to change their diet and tell them to take blood pressure medication, but if patients don’t have access to good, healthy food, it can be a challenge.”

The Mobile Food Pharmacy helps combat this potential hitch in a patient’s health journey by routing groceries to their clinic locations two to four nights every month. This year, the bus has already distributed over 3,000 pounds of food.

More patients are using the food pharmacy than ever in 2026, with a higher volume of returning patients. Noelle Dorvault, a student director who has volunteered on shifts since starting medical school last year, said the convenience of having a bus on site is a direct source of support for patients making needed lifestyle adjustments.

“When managing chronic conditions, health care providers often discuss dietary changes with patients,” Dorvault said. “They may agree in the moment, but it really takes it a step further to say, ‘Right after this clinic visit, there are free food options available for you to get access to fresh produce and lean meat, so you can start incorporating those into your diet right away while you’re still thinking about it.’”

Patients can request a free UberHealth ride to and from the clinic. Once there, a physician will typically fill out a “food prescription” for a patient after they are seen. To determine what foods will be most beneficial, the prescription notes chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and other physical factors such as pregnancy. The patient then meets with a medical student who provides one-on-one counseling based on these medical recommendations to help them choose foods from the bus.

In addition to considering their health conditions, the team is mindful of dietary preferences. They work with patients to respect cultural, religious or philosophical restrictions by offering a wide variety of nourishing foods.

“It’s a healing way to incorporate someone’s own agency into their medical care,” Dorvault said.

On days the Mobile Food Pharmacy is not operating, patients are referred to brick-and-mortar pantries run by its collaborators, such as St. Patrick Catholic Church food pantry or Pleasant Street Civil Rights and Cultural Arts Center. Pastor Gerard Duncan, who leads the Food is Medicine program in East Gainesville, staffs and handles upkeep of the refrigerated bus. His nonprofit Pleasant Street location receives weekly donations from Working Food’s Giving Garden Farm –– a portion of which is used to stock the van’s shelves.

Guerra and student leaders also connect patients with the Pleasant Street center for social resources, such as wellness education, parenting workshops and career preparation. Like preventive medicine, these initiatives uplift members of the community by targeting the roots of food insecurity and other health inequities.

The Alachua County community has shown its support by donating hundreds of pounds of food in previous holiday drives. Local churches, clubs and several UF departments have also helped to supplement the goods purchased using their grant. This means everything, Guerra said, particularly in “rougher months” as food prices continue to surge.

Not all expenses are covered by the grant, which is set to expire in 2029 –– car insurance, driver’s wages and the cost to keep the generators running can add up quickly. Guerra’s team has chipped in on multiple occasions to pay for flyers or refrigerated bags out of pocket.

“I hope we can sustain it,” Guerra said. “I think it’s become so integral to Equal Access Clinic. When 2029 rolls around, we’re going to keep it going one way or the other.”

The Mobile Food Pharmacy is a boon for UF students and Gainesville residents, Guerra said, since it allows future medical professionals to engage with the community as they guide patients toward a healthier lifestyle. The prescriptive nutrition care model is also used by UF Health’s Jacksonville Food Pharmacy location, which offers cooking classes and counseling on campus.

The program’s student leaders have recently been working to improve the quality of their data measuring food insecurity by asking more specific survey questions and gathering constructive feedback from patients.

Moving forward, the team hopes to expand the capacity and reach of the Mobile Food Pharmacy to further alleviate food insecurity in the region.

“It’s good to see that there’s still help for people and communities caring for others,” Orraca said. “They really care about everyone.”