In Buffalo, New York, Buffalo Go Green has spent years advancing food equity by linking food access, education, and health outcomes in communities shaped by long-standing disinvestment—and is now building a platform to ensure those services reach people in ways that reflect their real lives, such as produce prescriptions.

Founded by Allison DeHonney, the organization operates primarily on Buffalo’s East Side, where limited access to affordable, nutritious food contributes to high rates of diet-related disease including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. 28.3 percent of Buffalo’s population lives below the poverty line, and 24 percent is food-insecure, leading to Buffalo Go Green's solution of produce prescriptions.

DeHonney launched Buffalo Go Green without formal training in agriculture or healthcare, instead drawing on experience in business and insurance to address structural drivers of poor health.

“The impetus of the organization, after doing research on health disparities, was addressing the lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables and the lack of knowledge surrounding healthy food choices,” DeHonney tells Food Tank about Buffalo Go Green and its produce prescriptions.

DeHonney began by starting a farm, focusing on healthy soil, non-GMO seeds, and growing practices designed to produce nutrient-dense food. To fight health disparities and their effects, Buffalo Go Green developed produce prescription programs, where patients are provided with produce prescriptions for fruits and vegetables to bolster their health, and prepared meal programs for the underserved.

The organization operates year-round growing facilities that yield hundreds of pounds of organic fruits and vegetables. It also runs mobile produce markets to ensure Buffalo residents can access nutritious food where and when they need it in addition to its produce prescriptions.

As DeHonney spent time engaging with community members at markets and on the farm, education became a focal point. She found that access alone was insufficient, particularly in dense urban neighborhoods with limited growing space. “So much harm has been done in these communities,” DeHonney explains, noting that education helps build lasting skills and confidence around food choices.

Read the full article about Buffalo Go Green by Jessica Levy at Food Tank.