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SANTA BARBARA, CA — As inflation, housing costs, and healthcare expenses continue to rise, more Santa Barbara County residents are becoming nutritionally insecure — unable to consistently access the nutrient-dense food necessary to support health and healing.
Since 2009, Organic Soup Kitchen has worked at the intersection of food security, nutrition, and community health, providing medically tailored SoupMeals to low-income seniors, cancer patients, and chronically ill residents throughout Santa Barbara County.
For vulnerable populations, the consequences of poor nutrition can be severe. More than 25,000 people are currently living with cancer in Santa Barbara County, and research shows that up to 85% of cancer patients are at risk of malnutrition during treatment. Among low-income cancer patients, 1 in 2 experiences food insecurity.
“Nutrition is foundational to health,” said Anthony Corroccio, Founder and Executive Director of Organic Soup Kitchen. “We are seeing more community members who are struggling not only to afford food, but to afford the quality nutrition their bodies need to heal and recover.”
Emerging national research continues to support the role medically tailored meals can play in improving health outcomes. Studies presented through Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy show these programs may reduce food insecurity, improve dietary intake, support mental health, and help lower healthcare costs associated with malnutrition and treatment complications.
Organic Soup Kitchen currently operates multiple nutrition support programs throughout Santa Barbara County, including its CenCal Medically Tailored Meals Program and its Nutrition and Food Security Program, which provides weekly plant-based SoupMeals to qualifying low-income residents. Due to growing demand, portions of the program currently maintain a waiting list.
Community members can support Organic Soup Kitchen’s mission by donating, volunteering, or purchasing soups directly from the organization’s Distribution Center, where proceeds help fund medically tailored meal programs for residents in need.
Organic Soup Kitchen Distribution Center
126 E Haley Street, Suite A4
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Open Monday–Friday
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
To donate or learn more:
