National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Parlin, J. and Whitmer, E.
Food insecurity is found at high rates throughout marginalized communities in the US (1). Resilient local food systems can address such issues but need significant public and private systemic support. With investment from the community and key partners, mobile markets can support a thriving food culture. The PLAZA Mobile Market supports two equally important objectives. In areas with high food insecurity, the PLAZA mobile market sells locally grown produce at deeply discounted prices that are payable with government assistance programs like SNAP-EBT, Double Up Bucks, and the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. The market’s locations are at trusted community institutions, and involve trusted community partners, to meet the community where they live, work, and play. This helps eliminate transportation issues, a known barrier to purchasing local produce by low-income populations (2,3). The market aims to inspire participant conversations around produce available for sale and participants are educated through dialog with staff, seasonal recipes, and food demonstrations made with the market's produce. The market is designed this way because, research shows mobile markets, coupled with taste testing events, have been shown to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by low-income participants (4). The program also supports the local food economy, by buying directly from farmers at fair-market value. This removes a large barrier for small producers by taking on the time, energy, and financial risks that a farmers’ market requires. Our market buys primarily from Black women refugee farmers, in response to research showing that Black farmers and women farmers earn less farm-related wealth than their white and male counterparts, respectively (5). Program evaluation is conducted through surveys to learn customer demographics, their experience with farmers markets, barriers in produce consumption, and
how they heard about the market. Surveys also focus on program improvements, for example, ideal times and days for the market as well as preferred accompanying education and programming. This program was formed after many community conversations, including focus groups of SNAP-eligible community members, farmer interviews, a pilot market at an affordable housing site, and planning meetings with local leaders. A detailed inventory is kept, to record the amount of fresh local produce available and sold in the community. This
presentation will cover the process of developing the mobile market, challenges related to financial processes and navigating government assistance programs, and lessons learned.
Conference participants will learn steps in developing a mobile market and best practices in running a mobile market.