Date: December 2025
The Food Bank is excited to announce the debut of a brand-new vending machine that will dispense nutritious, ready-to-heat meals.
Installed at a healthcare partner in November, the vending machine is now available to provide frozen meals to patients and staff at Sunrise South Loveland Community Health Center, 302 Third St. in Loveland. The cost of the meals ranges between $1 and $2.
While the vending machine meals are available to anyone at the facility, the idea started with a goal to create more options for older adults to access ready-to-heat meals.
In early 2025, the Food Bank launched a Senior Nutrition Program pilot. As a part of the pilot, the Food Bank prepared made-from-scratch meals for seniors involved. Through this effort, Food Bank staff gathered feedback on the meals, including on packaging, heating instructions and most-liked meals.
Thanks to the pilot group’s review, vending machine customers will find a variety of comforting dishes. The vending machine will offer five different choices at a time, with a total of 30 options rotating through, and including options like meatloaf and mashed potatoes, pork carnitas with southwest black beans and buttered corn, and a chicken parmesan sandwich with roasted sweet potatoes and a strawberry compote — as well as gluten-free and vegetarian dishes.
All vending machine meals were prepared from scratch in the Food Bank’s Nutritious Kitchen, then frozen in preparation to be placed in the machine.
Now older adults, as well as all other patients, can benefit from the nutritious meals.
“By introducing a healthy meals vending machine at our federally qualified health center, we’re taking a significant step toward addressing food insecurity and improving overall wellness in our community,” said Justin Palmer, PA-C, Assistant Medical Director at the Sunrise South Loveland Community Health Center. “This initiative ensures that our patients—many of whom face barriers to accessing nutritious food—can conveniently find affordable, wholesome meal options right where they receive their care.”
A QR code on the vending machine will take people to a Food Bank webpage where they can see nutrition information for current options, as well as learn more about the Food Bank’s programs.
Food Bank Community Impact Director Osiris Moore (pictured with the vending machine above) said the partnership means patients have nourishing meals within reach, supporting their everyday health and healing.
“We believe food is medicine, and this vending machine allows patients to access wholesome meals that nurture both body and spirit,” Moore said. “By bringing healthy, affordable meals directly into the clinic, we are walking alongside health center patients on their journey to wellness.”
Moore said Food Bank staff look forward to creating more vending machine partnerships in the months to come—making even more nutritious meals available to Larimer County.
