Santa Barbara, CA – Research suggests that anywhere from 30 to 85 percent of cancer patients experience malnutrition, which can greatly affect their ability to tolerate treatment, recover, and maintain their quality of life. With ongoing support from the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, two local organizations, the Organic Soup Kitchen and Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach, are helping cancer patients in Santa Barbara County get the healthy food they need to prevent malnutrition during treatment.
Organic Soup Kitchen’s Cancer & Chronic Illness Program
This year, the Cancer Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to the Organic Soup Kitchen’s Cancer & Chronic Illness Recovery Program, allowing them to provide medically tailored meals, called SoupMeals, to cancer patients in Santa Barbara County.
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy often require easily digestible, protein-rich, soothing foods, such as bone broth and simple meat-based soups, which are gentle on the stomach and provide essential nutrients like protein, iron, zinc, collagen, and electrolytes. This grant enables the Organic Soup Kitchen to meet these nutritional requirements by providing meat-based SoupMeals to cancer patients at no cost, in addition to the vegetarian soups it already offers.
This partnership helps ensure that cancer patients in our community have access to healthy, medically tailored food. In 2025, the Cancer Foundation awarded the Organic Soup Kitchen a $10,000 grant, and the program served approximately 400 cancer clients, providing 24 SoupMeal containers per week.
Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach’s Meals on Wheels Program
In addition, the Cancer Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach’s Meals on Wheels program, which delivers free meals tailored to the unique nutritional needs of cancer patients in Santa Ynez Valley and provides grocery shopping assistance.
Cancer treatment is physically and financially demanding, and many patients struggle with the added burden of transportation, grocery shopping, and cooking while managing their health. Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach’s Meals on Wheels program helps address these challenges directly, bringing nutritious, tailored meals to patients’ doors and assisting with grocery shopping, so those in treatment can focus on their health rather than worrying about where their next meal will come from.
Since 2023, the Cancer Foundation has awarded $56,000 in grants to support this program. In 2025, Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach delivered 2,640 meals to cancer patients.
A Vital Part of Comprehensive Cancer Care
“Good nutrition is an essential but often overlooked part of cancer treatment. These programs make sure that local cancer patients have access to the nourishing food their bodies need without adding to the financial and physical burdens they are already facing,” said Lori Willis, Executive Director of the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara. “We are proud to support the Organic Soup Kitchen and Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach in this important work.”
Learn more about Organic Soup Kitchen here, https://organicsoupkitchen.org/
Learn more about SYV Community Outreach here, https://syvcommunityoutreach.org/
About the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara:
The Cancer Foundation is an independent nonprofit and the exclusive fundraising partner of the Ridley-Tree Cancer Center. The Foundation’s mission is to ensure the availability of superior cancer care and patient support services for all residents of Santa Barbara County. To learn more, visit the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara at www.cfsb.org, or find us on Instagram and Facebook.
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