Free Farmers Market at Intermountain Medical Center Helps Patients During Their Fight Against Cancer

When you’re fighting cancer, everything can be challenging – including cooking dinner and shopping. With that in mind, Intermountain Healthcare Cancer Services, with support from the Intermountain Foundation, is partnering with local nonprofit Green Urban Lunchbox to provide mobile farmers markets for cancer patients and loved ones who have been receiving care at Intermountain Medical Center to share fresh fruits and vegetables with patients who battling cancer.
 
“Healthy nutrition is a critical complement to cancer care. Leading organizations, such as American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute, recognize a healthy diet as being a fundamental component for cancer prevention and for improving outcomes during treatment and throughout survivorship,” said Elisa Soulier, Intermountain Medical Center’s oncology LiVe Well program manager. “The evidence is continuing to prove that maintaining adequate nutrition for cancer patients going through active treatment can reduce treatment-related side effects, prevent delays in treatment, and improve quality of life.”
 
Due to the success and positive patient feedback after running two pilot markets last year, the Cancer Center Intermountain Medical Center was able to offer twelve markets this year.
 
“We had an amazing turnout with patients and their loved ones filling bags before we set everything out,” Soulier said. “We have listened to patients experience these positive effects while handing out anywhere from 150 to 300 pounds of locally grown fruits and vegetables each market at no cost. There are always about 30 to 40 patients and families who stop by, and it has been special to see our regulars over time. The gratitude expressed by those who filled their bags was overwhelming. Everyone said how hard it is to get to the store when they’re spending hours getting treatments, and they said how expensive it can get to buy fresh produce.”
 
News media are invited to cover Thursday’s free farmers market.
 
WHEN:
1 pm, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2017
 
WHERE: 
Intermountain Medical Center Cancer Center – Bldg. #3
5121 South Cottonwood Street, Murray