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When Flor Delgado of Gaithersburg was hospitalized a few months ago for dehydration, she blamed it on the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in her diet.

Delgado prefers vegetables to meat and fresh to canned, but she said her salary at a part-time job does not leave her with enough money to buy fresh food.

Delgado was pleasantly surprised that the monthly emergency food box she picked up Monday at Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg included locally grown corn, potatoes, lettuce, peaches, tomatoes, squash and zucchini — all part of a new Farm to Food Bank initiative sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Whole Foods.

The cost of fresh fruit and vegetables make them luxury items for some families, said Kim Damion, Manna's executive director.

"We know how important it is to have a healthy, balanced died for long-term health," she said.

Obesity, diabetes and heart disease are more prevalent in low-income families, Damion said.

A $50,000 grant from Kaiser for two years will improve the quality of the food Manna provides for those who need assistance, she said.

"At Kaiser Permanente, we believe our responsibility to create healthier, stronger communities extends beyond our medical office doors," Maritha Gay, senior director of external affairs for Kaiser, said in a prepared statement.

Whole Foods contributed money and is providing recipes to help recipients prepare unfamiliar produce.

"I'm going to try a little bit of everything," said Emily Harriday of Rockville as she picked up her box of food Monday.

Manna began adding the fresh produce to the emergency boxes three weeks ago and will continue to add fruit and vegetables throughout the growing season, Damion said.

The nonprofit countywide organization is providing emergency boxes to about 3,300 families per month, about the same number that needed help a year ago, she said. Each family receives about 70 pounds of food each month, enough to feed a family of four for three to five days, she said.

Everyone who comes to Manna is referred by a counselor.

Mary Aguilar of Derwood, a first-time client, lost her job a month ago.

"All our money went to the house, now we don't have anything to eat," Aguilar said.

She was impressed with the bag of fresh produce on top of her box.

"I'm very surprised and very blessed," Aguilar said. "God is looking out for us."

Dennis Bennaman of Rockville said his wife tries to watch their diets.

"We find our cholesterol levels always high when we're not having enough vegetables in our system," Bennaman said.

The fresh fruit and vegetables included in the food boxes came as a surprise to many of the recipients, but not all.

Brenda Alexis of Takoma Park saw on television that Manna volunteers had gone to Red Wiggler Community Farm in Clarksburg last week to harvest potatoes. They picked about 425 pounds of potatoes, Red Wiggler Executive Director Woody Woodroof said.

Alexis, a graduate student, said she has $3 per week to spend on food. At 49 cents a pound, kale is a staple in her diet, she said. Adding an onion or some garlic to the kale is expensive, she said.

"This means a lot to me to be able to come here," Alexis said.

The farm is organic and Alexis, a vegetarian, hoped all the produce was organic, but it is not.

Woodroof helped Manna find farms last winter that would sell the group produce Red Wiggler could not provide at wholesale prices. He is advising the group of the best time to buy each crop. Last week, for example, the group bought corn from Lewis Orchards in Dickerson, and cabbage and cucumbers from Homestead Farm in Poolesville.

"Originally Manna was looking at purchasing a farm," Damion said. "After some research we found a better way to use our strength. We're not farmers."

Manna picked up watermelons, cherry tomatoes, and sweet and jalapeño peppers Tuesday for the next boxes.

"We're trying to deliver a variety of produce so the food bank doesn't get inundated with one thing," Woodroof said.