Mobile food pop-up 'Veggie Van' coming to Licking County communities throughout summer
Licking County residents will have a unique way to get fresh produce this summer.
Local Matters’ Veggie Van is making its way to Licking County for four pop-up days throughout the summer. In partnership with Local Matters, United Way of Licking County and the Licking County Health Department worked for over a year to bring a mobile food model to Licking County, and Friday marked the first pop-up, taking place at Oak Hill Manor in Utica.
The idea of bringing the Veggie Van to the county was sparked through community conversation regarding ways to improve food access for residents who live in areas without the ability to easily purchase groceries.
Dei Dill, marketing and outreach director for the United Way of Licking County, said there are areas where grocery stores do not offer products with high nutrient content and rather products that are more convenient than fresh. Dill added that barriers such as food prices, transportation and time all impact someone's ability to access food.
"An affordable mobile grocery store … offering nutrient dense food in places where there are barriers to food access is something that this county needs because food access looks different for everybody and it's pretty complex, so our solutions should also reflect that," Dill said.
United Way of Licking County, the LCDH and about 20 other organizations looked at various models to improve access in Licking County.
Bri Perkins, a health education manager with the LCHD, said she looked at the 2022 county health rankings when determining what food access looked like in Licking County. Through that research, she determined 12% of the county population was food insecure.
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a household with limited or "uncertain" access to adequate food.
"Oftentimes when folks are living on limited resources and limited budgets, food is one of the first things that gets cut," Dill said.
Funding for the Veggie Van pop-ups this June and July was generated through a "Creating Healthy Communities" grant the LCHD was awarded from the Ohio Department of Health. The $100,000 grant runs on a five-year cycle, Perkins said.
Community engagement and interest is critical this summer to gauge the interest in developing a more permanent van that operates on a set schedule in Licking County, Dill said. That van would likely use local produce from farmers, while also selling common wholesale items that would be found at larger grocery stores.
The other three pop-ups will take place June 24 at Legacy Park in Newark, July 15 at the Licking County YMCA in Newark and July 22 at the West Licking YMCA in Pataskala.
The location for those pop-ups was determined via the data Perkins identified and the willingness of the location to host the van.
"Places that have a built-in audience were really nice," Perkins said. "For instance, the Y has a built-in audience there to increase individuals to stop by as well."
Anyone in Licking County, regardless of whether they attended a pop-up, is encouraged to fill out the LCHD and United Way of Licking County’s survey to identify whether a permanent van is desired in the community.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Mobile food shop coming to Licking County communities this summer
