Become a Client
Medically Tailored Meals Program
Teen Kitchen Project’s mission is to build healthy communities through food.
Our purpose is to provide critically and chronically ill people in Santa Cruz County with home-delivered, medically tailored meals.
Teen Kitchen Project has been preparing home-delivered meals to people who are too sick to shop or cook for themselves since 2012. Our healthy, fresh and delicious meals are made from scratch by our Teen Chefs with guidance from our professional chef staff members. Our Executive Chef designs and creates menus that are plant-forward and represent many cultural influences and flavors.
Since 2018, Teen Kitchen Project has been delivering medically tailored meals. Our medically tailored meals are designed to meet the basic nutritional needs of people with chronic and acute illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease and more. Learn more about our medically tailored meals below.
What TKP Offers:
- Education for clients about nutrition for their illness through one-on-one support from our Nutrition Care Manager RDN.
- 7 entrees, including two hearty salads and one small dessert. Deliveries are once per week depending on the patient’s health condition and eligibility.
- 12 weeks of meals with possible extension to 24 weeks.
- Meal service can include family members and/or caregivers, depending on the program.
- Meals are free or a small donation is requested but not required.
- Client Care and Nutrition Education services available in English and Spanish.
Why Medically Tailored Meals Are Important:
When one faces serious illness, being well-nourished is very important. Eating enough healthy food when you’re ill can help…
- Improve health outcomes.
- Reduce time spent in the hospital.
- Increase the effectiveness of medications.
- Improve overall quality of life.
- Increase energy levels.
- Promote healing.
- Bolster immune function.
*Teen Kitchen Project does not operate in an allergen free kitchen and cannot accommodate food allergies or sensitivities.
A Little More About Our Menu/Meals:
Our menu is plant-forward and modeled after the DASH Diet, the TLC approach and is Diabetes Friendly. To learn more about these read the synopses below.
DASH Diet Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is an evidence-based diet recommended for people who want to prevent or treat hypertension — also known as high blood pressure — and reduce their risk of heart disease. The DASH diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats. The diet was created after researchers noticed that high blood pressure was much less common in people who followed a plant-based diet. That’s why the DASH diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables while containing some lean protein sources like chicken, fish and beans. The diet is low in red meat, salt, added sugars and fat.
TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) approach is recommended by various health organizations (American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and The Obesity Society, among others) as a sound therapeutic strategy for overweight or obese persons at risk for type 2 diabetes and/or coronary heart disease. TLC focuses on lowering total dietary cholesterol levels in the blood through diet and exercise choices. The goal is to raise good cholesterol levels (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides by limiting foods high in saturated fat and trans fat.
Diabetes-Friendly This term is used to explain an approach or a style of meal planning that’s goal is to obtain the nutrition needed while keeping blood sugar levels within target range. A Diabetes-Friendly approach includes lots of non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, and green beans. It also includes fewer added sugars and refined grains, such as white bread, rice, and pasta. Finally, it focuses on whole foods instead of highly processed foods/ingredients as much as possible.
Eligibility
1. Client needs to live in Santa Cruz County
2. Client needs to have one or more of the following diagnoses:
a. Alzheimer’s/Dementia
b. Cancer
c. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
d. Congestive Heart Failure
e. Diabetes*
f. End-Stage Renal Disease
g. HIV/AIDS
h. Neurological Disorder (Stroke, Parkinson’s, MS, ALS)
i. Recent Major Surgery with 30 days
(*HbA1c level must be 6.5% or above within the last 3 months. Income verification required, please call Client Services Team for more information.)
If your medical condition does not appear on this list, unfortunately, you are not eligible for our Medically Tailored Meals Program.
3. Client needs the Referral Form below signed from a healthcare provider to verify eligibility.
Who is NOT Eligible?
Participants who don’t have refrigerated food storage and heating capabilities.
Participants who have prepared food available onsite as part of their housing (La Posada). Exception: Community Supports referrals.
Participants currently receiving another home delivered meal service, like Meals on Wheels. Exception: Community Supports referrals.
Participants who lack sufficient support or ability to adhere to the program.
– Notes –
Cost:
All of our meals are free. We accept donations if desired by the client, but do not turn away anyone from our services.
Health Care Practitioners:
Please complete and return the Referral Form below per the instructions on the form. Please make sure that whoever signs this form is an: MD, DO, NP, PA, RD, RN, LCSW, or MSW.
Prospective client or person acting on their behalf:
Consent to release information must be obtained by the referring agency. Please bring them the form and they will share next steps per their HIPAA policies.