Food insecurity is hard comes in all shapes and forms but takes a particular toll on people who suffer from chronic and acute illnesses. The food backpack program was created to help with this nutritionally high-risk population. 

These backpacks started in the inpatient setting and have since expanded to 6 additional hospital departments and clinics within Linn County. While in the beginning these backpacks were aimed towards our homeless population, we’ve found they’ve been helpful in other population groups as well, for example post-operative patients who are unable to get to the grocery store after hospital discharge. Within these backpacks, we also include a list of local resources in the community: hot meal sites, food pantries, contact to the SNAP office, and contacts for gleaning groups. The purpose of these food backpacks is to provide immediate nutrition care after an acute hospitalization to boost recovery and prevent readmissions and connect them with existing community food resources for long-term access to food.