Fresh, healthy, and accessible food is an issue across North America. And when it comes to food banks, they need better tools to serve their community where they live, work, and play.
That’s why food banks are launching mobile produce market programs with help of The Farmers’ Truck. Their mobile produce market trucks are perfect for bringing fresh, healthy food to underserved communities in a convenient, cost-effective, and dignified way. Mobile markets are agile and go where the community needs it most.
The Farmers’ Truck has designed a human-centered mobile market vehicle to help food banks feed hundreds of people a week with fresh fruits, vegetables, and other staples.
Trucks feature a large side door that opens and acts as an awning to protect shoppers and products from the elements. The full-width display creates an inviting environment for shoppers to get their favorite fruits and veggies.
The trucks come with refrigeration units inside the box, and the latest C-Model Truck is completely insulated with a third temperature control system to keep the entire box cool. This is great for occasional pickup and delivery, and can eliminate the need to load and unload the truck of fruits and veggies every day.
The Farmers’ Truck doesn’t just provide key-in-hand market trucks and trailers, but they also help identify funding opportunities and offer mobile market program expertise, having worked in the field for many years.
The Farmers’ Truck launched its own mobile produce market program in 2015 in Eastern Canada. They learned so much over the years and their customer-focused truck design grabbed the attention of many food banks in the United States. The team decided to switch gears and sell mobile market trucks to food banks and empower them with a proven food access solution.
Tamara Dawson is the Director of Programs for The Campaign Against Hunger in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her organization bought a Farmers’ Truck several years ago and she says the truck has been an excellent solution for improving healthy food access.
“We’ve been able to target different age groups depending on the location. So we go from pregnant moms and zero years, all the way up to seniors,” she says. “Having fresh produce and culturally appropriate produce, at a fraction of the cost, is a big plus.”
Sarah Nordwick, CEO of the Community Food Bank of San Benito County in Calif., says their Farmers’ Truck is nicknamed ‘Benny’, and it helps serve more than 400 families every week.
“It’s been instrumental in decreasing the stigma of using a food bank,” said Nordwick. “As we all know, it’s hard to ask for help or accept help, but being at this vehicle is pretty cool and it looks different.”
Doug Wooley of Denver, Colo., is a customer of the GoFarm Mobile Produce Market Program. The GoFarm Farmers’ Truck visits his apartment complex on a regular basis and provides him access to fresh, healthy food that he normally wouldn’t have access to due to mobility issues.
“The one thing I like most about our mobile markets is that the fresh produce is literally brought to our front door. I, like many of my neighbors, have mobility challenges, and getting to and from the grocery store can be challenging. Those challenges include individual mobility challenges/barriers, transportation, and cost of produce. With GoFarm showing up right outside our front door, we do not need to go far and do not need to take hours on buses or trains. And we know the quality of the food is better than some of the local grocery stores, as well as locally sourced.”
In Gloucester, Mass., The Open Door food pantry utilizes its Farmers’ Truck to feed people of all ages, including children at Veteran’s Memorial Elementary School. Matthew Fusco, Principal of the school, says improving access to fresh fruits and vegetables creates healthy opportunities for children and their families as well.
“It gives kids and families access to loads of fruits and vegetables that kids would not get,” he said. “I have seen students get the vegetables and fruit for their parents before walking home, which is very gratifying.”
“Bringing the mobile market Farmers’ Truck to schools is a prime example of what the truck is meant to do: bring free, fresh produce directly to the places where people learn, work, live, and play,” adds The Open Door President and CEO Julie LaFontaine. “It’s magical to see how excited students are to bite into a fresh apple or take home vegetables to their families. It creates a safe and welcoming place for kids to access nutritious food, without stigma.”
At this time, the Farmers’ Truck is helping to serve 20,000 families a week with fresh, healthy food. Their goal is to reach 1 million families every week by the year 2030!
With your help, The Farmers’ Truck can achieve this goal. Reach out to their team today, and get started!
This article is a sponsored post provided by Farmers’ Truck.
Photo credit, top: The Campaign Against Hunger, Brooklyn, N.Y.
