Lifelong: How nutritious food became a community’s medicine

Every week, grocery bags of food and frozen meals are delivered to homes in King, Island and Snohomish counties. They are made with care, an eye to nutrition and concern for culture—and in return they nourish those who are struggling. This is the work of Lifelong, an organization helping those who are low income, homebound or experiencing chronic illness; their efforts bring to life the idea that food is medicine.

Lifelong’s roots go back to the 1980s, when the HIV/AIDS epidemic was raging and government agencies refused to respond to the crisis—leaving those who were infected to struggle on their own. In Seattle, community members came together to organize food deliveries, hospital visitations and more, determined that no one suffer alone.

Out of this effort came several nonprofit organizations—Northwest AIDS Foundation, Chicken Soup Brigade, and Evergreen Wellness Advocates, now operating under the name Lifelong. While the mission has expanded far beyond HIV/AIDS, the goal is the same: to remove barriers to health with compassion so that no one faces illness or injustice alone. They do this one bag of groceries and one prepared meal at a time—but these are not just any meals or groceries.

“All of our clients are low income and are either living with chronic disease, or are homebound, or are seniors,” explained Morgan Feder, the agency’s nutrition and client services manager. “Our meals are medically tailored—our team of dietitians have come up with standards so these meals can be used as medicine for people living with chronic disease.”

The meals and grocery bags follow standards set by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association, staying within targets for calories, sodium, fat, protein and more. “We want to take away the stress of having to figure out how to create healthy food when you’re sick,” Feder said.

“Nutritional knowledge varies, from client to client, and many don’t necessarily get the needed education from their doctor…” Feder said. “So, our goal is to send meals to our clients that they can feel safe eating—that takes a weight off of their shoulders.”

Devising such meals is complicated. There’s a chef, a nutrition team, and a lot of back and forth. “They have to figure out how to adapt it (to nutritional guidelines) and still make it taste good,” Feder said. The recipes also need to freeze well and be streamlined enough to work on an industrial scale. There’s a lot to be balanced, but Feder says both teams enjoy the challenge.

Within the meal delivery program, there is further specification: some meals are tailored for kidney dialysis patients, or those who cannot digest well (many health conditions cause digestion problems). And any meal can be made “soft texture,” as dental problems or some health conditions make it difficult to chew and swallow. There is also a Welcome Home Program: a month of meals for people who have been discharged from the hospital.

“Not everyone comes home to a support system,” Feder explained. “To have four weeks of medically tailored meals you can just heat in the microwave and be able to focus on healing is really important.”

A more recent effort has adjusted the offerings to reflect the cultural heritage of the recipients. Asian Pacific Islander grocery bags might feature soy milk, tofu, fish, rice, noodles, Asian greens and bananas. Another bag inspired by Latino cuisine offers beans and rice, beef, tortillas, tomatoes, peppers and limes. Groceries for the East African community include lentils, rice, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, chicken and oranges. “There’s a lot of comfort in being able to eat food that is familiar to people,” Feder said.

There also are bags for those without access to cooking facilities, filled with items that require little to no preparation or refrigeration. Part of Lifelong’s mission is to assist those who are transitioning out of homelessness and their Housing Department administers several tiny house villages.

Responding to need is only one component. Prevention and mitigation are also addressed through nutritional therapy and a program called Pots and Plans, a six-week class teaching cooking and nutrition basics. Each week has a different nutritional focus and students take home groceries to prepare recipes they’ve learned. The goal is to leave them with skills to make healthy food on their own.

The classes, offered through partner agencies, are also tailored to the cultural background of the students. One partnership has been with Seattle Indian Health Board, who helped Lifelong pilot a series on cooking from a Native background. “They were lovely and gave us feedback on the recipes,” she said.

The scope of Lifelong’s work is significant. In 2022 the agency distributed 52,000 grocery bags of food and 427,000 meals—8,000 meals a week—all prepared in a warehouse in Georgetown. While a staff makes up the backbone of the operation, they are assisted by more than 1,200 volunteers annually, including family groups and corporate teams as well as individuals and schools.

Volunteers come from all walks of life—either helping to prepare grocery bags or meals in the warehouse or driving a delivery route (food prep volunteering can be a one-time event, but delivery drivers are asked to commit for three months). Corporate groups usually come in for a single shift, but some families and individuals stay involved for years.

“We have a father-son team who volunteers together,” says Jeremy Orbe, Lifelong’s corporate engagement manager. “They started when the son was in middle school, then took some time off, now they’re back and he’s a young adult; their delivery route is a way for them to spend time together.”

The Chicken Soup Brigade was founded to bring food to people with HIV/AIDS. “Since then we’ve been able to expand to people who have other chronic diseases and need food support,” Feder said.

After 40 years, the need is ongoing—and increasing.

“There is more of a need than we currently have funding for,” she said. (Lifelong’s funding comes from federal funding for HIV/AIDS known as the Ryan White Act, as well as senior nutrition funding through the City of Seattle and donations and other health care partnerships.)

As food costs rise and many other supports decline, “I don’t see us slowing down any time soon.”