We all know how important it is to eat healthy foods. We also understand the effectiveness of food trucks and pop-up markets, which bring these healthy foods to areas of the city that are considered ‘food deserts.’
In 2017, the Veggie Van launched in Buffalo, bringing with it a new day in the regional realm of promoting the benefits of healthy eating. But it was the year 2011 when a study for the Veggie Van was initially launched. It was the comprehensive study that led to launch of the van, as well as the groundwork for a number of community partnerships. The continued growth of the project – thanks to $3.1 million in funding from the National Cancer Institute – wound up leading to the establishment of an even broader national movement, called the Mobile Market Coalition (MMC). That national movement came about thanks to the formations of an annual Mobile Market Summit, initially founded at University at Buffalo in 2019.
Adding to the steady growth of the initiative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has now awarded Veggie Van $750,000 to support the expansion of the Veggie Van Training Center and the MMC.
Through this latest round of funding, Lucia Leone, PhD (co-founder of the nonprofit organization, Community Nutrition Partnership) and her team are now able to further strengthen the bonds that tie the network of mobile market operators together. Leone, who is associate professor of community health and health behavior in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions, feels that it is of utmost importance to expand the scope of the Veggie Van Training Center, while allowing the team to develop standards of operation that will translate to implementing best practices. A Veggie Van Toolkit has been developed to provide step-by-step instructions for starting and running a mobile produce market. On top of that, the Training Center offers a Mobile Market 101 course for those looking to establish their own mobile markets.
“We are excited to work with an amazing team of mobile market operators,” said Leone, of the University at Buffalo initiative. “Our goal is to support their work so that they can continue to help expand access to locally grown and produced foods in underserved communities, and connect producers with new markets.”
The latest infusion of grant funding helps support the Mobile Market Summit operations for the next three years. (The 2022 summit is scheduled for March 29-30, with in-person and virtual options available.) The Summit will be supplemented by a mentoring program and webinars.
As a way to make sure that the WNY Veggie Van community remains as strong as possible, the team will establish regional mobile market networks. These networks will allow local operators to share resources, including food procurement from local farmers. After all, the stronger the Veggie Van movement, the stronger the entire WNY community.
Get connected: www.myveggievan.org
Images courtesy University at Buffalo’s Veggie Van team