Frederick Health, Frederick County’s largest healthcare provider, is teaming up with a local farm to provide fresh produce to people with diabetes and other diseases.

The goal is to get diets to be more diabetes friendly.

Fredrick Health is buying 30 bundles of fresh produce from The DeFeo Family Farm each week to distribute to participants in its Diabetes Prevention Program.

The bundles include fresh fruits and vegetables like zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.

Dr. Laura DeFeo is a lifestyle coach who teaches with the program and co-owns the farm.

“The program has an overall curriculum where we teach people about healthy eating and about physical activity and managing stress and setting goals that help them move in the direction of better health,” DeFeo said.

The program has helped about 200 participants so far.

The program offers recipes to participants using the produce they receive.

“One of the favorites is these mini eggplant pizzas that we have a recipe for where you basically take an eggplant, slice it up into rounds, and you roast those and then you use those as the crust for your pizza toppings,” DeFeo said.

About 11% of Marylanders suffer from diabetes.

A 2020 study that simulated subsidized local produce found that access to locally grown foods in low-income communities can help reduce diabetes.