Our Partner Programs

To learn more about each program, click through the dividers under each header!

Fresh Markets

Fresh Markets are Access’ healthy food retail start-ups. The Markets offer affordable access to healthy, local produce from small farms in an equitable, non-charity setting while supporting the Michigan agricultural economy. The Markets create availability in neighborhoods with limited good food access, ensuring that all residents have choice and can contribute to a vibrant and diverse local food economy. 

Markets are open year-round, and shoppers purchase produce/value-added items at their convenience and can use SNAP, Double Up Food Bucks, and fresh food vouchers as well as cash or credit.  

Current Fresh Markets in operation are located at: 

  • North Kent Connect
  • The Other Way Ministries
  • United Church Outreach Ministries (UCOM)
  • SECOM Resource Center
  • United Methodist Community House
Click here for a flyer with addresses and phone numbers. 

Refresh Now

Refresh Now is a food prescription program that improves health for those working to address a major chronic disease or risk factors for a major chronic disease (examples: Type 2 Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic renal disease, cancer, major mental health disorder). The long-term goal of Refresh Now is to improve the health of the community, create support for the local healthy food economy, and promote the wisdom of using food as medicine.

Research supports the idea that food is the best medicine to address chronic illness; by connecting families to Refresh Now, chronic disease symptoms (or risk) can be reduced and even eliminated. Refresh Now helps participants increase consumption of fruits and vegetables by offering fresh food vouchers to purchase fresh, locally grown produce, and helps increase knowledge through healthy living classes. 

To be eligible for Refresh Now, participants must be diagnosed or at high risk for a major chronic illness, be a resident of Kent County, have the ability to commit to the three-month program, and be at least 18 years of age (although the participant’s entire family benefits from the fresh food vouchers). Refresh Now requires a screening for blood pressure, height, weight, BMI, lipid profile (cholesterol)and A1C.

Additional labs may be required as determined by chronic disease state of the individual. Patients are referred through Refresh Now partner site liaisons, who then prescribes fresh food vouchers that can be redeemed for fresh fruits and vegetables at any of Access’ affordable Fresh Markets. 

Our Refresh Now sites are: 

  • Exalta Health

  • Catherine’s Health Center

Interested in becoming a Good Food partner? Contact us at info@accessofwestmichigan.org!