PRODUCE
For now, Veggie Van is at three locations each week: from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Trio Pharmacy, 1570 Cleveland Ave., in Linden; 3-6 p.m. Fridays at Equitas Health King-lincoln Pharmacy, 736 E Long St., in the King-lincoln District; and 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays at the Dodge center, 667 Sullivant Ave. in Franklinton.
With reasonable prices (two tomatoes for $1, $2 for a head of cabbage or broccoli, and $1.50 for yellow squash, for example) and a friendly atmosphere, the Veggie Van appeared to be a hit for its first visit to Dodge.
Nikki Edwards, a pediatric nurse practitioner, picked up her two children and her niece and nephew after their day camp at the rec center. The kids each sampled some of the fresh threesisters salad (kidney beans, squash, corn and onion with some fresh thyme, citrus and maple syrup) that Mccoy had just made during a demonstration. Then, the kids picked out the ingredients to make a batch of their own.
“This is awesome,” Edwards said. “This is really nice for the community.”
The mobile market has long been a goal of Local Matters, a nonprofit group that focuses on food education, access and advocacy to build a culture of health in the city’s neediest neighborhoods. The group was able to buy a new van and launch this year with two $50,000 grants — one from the Franklin County Catalyst Grant Program and one from the University of Buffalo. For the latter, Columbus is one of only eight cities in the country to get the grant and be selected as part of a two-year study to determine whether mobile access to fresh fruits and vegetables makes a difference in creating healthier communities and reducing food insecurity.
Nikki Van Dine, the director of the Dodge center, has no doubt the study will show that it does. There is a real need in her community for this, she said.
“Sometimes there will be something pop up in a parking lot over here,” she said of Franklinton, “but not everyone feels safe shopping like that. Here, we’re a safe and friendly space where the kids can play while Mom shops for healthy food for her family.”
Making healthy eating easier is definitely a part of the goal of Veggie Van, Mccoy said.
“If I can save you a trip because you were coming to pick up your kids or stopping at the pharmacy to pick up your medicine and you can get the vegetables to feed them a healthy salad tonight, everybody wins,” Mccoy said. “We want Veggie Van to be personal. We want people to visit us and get the Whole Foods experience right in their neighborhood among friends.”
The Veggie Van also has pantry staples like beans and rice, and fresh herbs such as basil and thyme. Kids could take free apples on Wednesday. Much of the produce comes from local sources, and some of it is harvested from the 25 learning gardens that Local Matters hosts around the city, said Adam Fazio, the organization’s director of development.
“We know people want to eat well. It’s not a lack of desire to be healthy,” Fazio said. “It’s a lack of accessibility and cost. We want to fix that.”