Operation Food Search (OFS), one of Warren County’s food pantry providers, has introduced a new food program, Fresh Rx Nourishing Healthy Starts, to enable healthier pregnancies.Fresh Rx is a new fresh food prescription program. The goal is to provide low-income women the experience of healthier pregnancies and healthy babies.Babies born to food insecure mothers are more likely to exhibit low birth weight, birth defects, and developmental delays.Research shows that food insecurity during pregnancy is associated with the development of gestational diabetes, vitamin deficiencies, and higher levels of stress and depression.The program is being launched at one obstetric care center.“At this time, we are only working with women who go to the OB Care Center at DePaul Hospital in Bridgeton for their prenatal care,” said Trina Ragain, Operation Food Search’s director of advocacy and research. “If a woman goes to the OB Care Center, screens positive for food insecurity and lives in Missouri, they are eligible to participate.”Enrollment in the pogram includes a weekly share of local protein, dairy, grain and produce for the entire household; one-on-one nutrition consultations; in-home and online nutrition and cooking tutorials; culinary skills and nutrition education classes; and supportive services and community resources such as financial counseling, workforce development and diaper assistance.The program is made possible by Monsanto Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer, Anthem Foundation, Episcopal Presbyterian Health Trust and Wallace Center at Winrock International.Primary partners include Fair Shares Combined Community Supported Agriculture (CCSA) and the OB Care Center at SSM DePaul Hospital-St. Louis, a full-service prenatal care facility.For more information, call 314-726-5355 or visit www.ofsfreshrx.org or www.OperationFoodSearch.org.