See below to learn about the Veggie Van Study Request for Partnership Opportunity 
Contact us with any questions!

Overview of the Veggie Van Research Study
The Veggie Van model is a mobile produce market that sells locally grown produce at a reduced cost in communities that face barriers such as limited availability, cost, or unfamiliarity with preparing fresh produce. Each Veggie Van partners with sites within the community that are already reaching the targeted population, such as community centers, low-income housing, and churches.

Although more research is needed to evaluate mobile produce models, the available research is encouraging. Our work has shown  that residents in communities with access to a mobile produce market following the Veggie Van model increases their intake of fruit and vegetables by almost a cup more than residents in communities without Veggie Van. 
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We are currently partnering with eight organizations across the north and southeast regions of the US on this research. We are looking for an additional 2-3 partner organizations to start a mobile market program in 1-2 new communities (new mobile market stops/locations). Partners will work with the communities to engage in planning for the market and help collect data to evaluate the market.

Eligibility for the Veggie Van Study 
Any private, public, religious or government entity is invited to apply.  Individuals are not eligible.  We encourage you to apply if your organization meets criteria for at least one of the opportunities described below:

Applicant organizations must serve a predominantly urban* population and primarily operate in one of the following states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Delaware, District of Columbia

*The Veggie Van model has not been previously tested in rural areas so we have chosen not to work with organizations that serve an exclusively rural population for this round of the study.  As we recognize that urban means different things in different locations, we encourage any organization that might qualify to fill out the intent to apply form so that we can determine if your area would be a good match.

Requirements for the Veggie Van Study 
Partners accepted to participate in the Veggie Van study will agree to: 
  • Meet/talk regularly with the study team to coordinate timelines and ensure program goals are met.
  • Work with the community sites and Veggie Van team on community engagement efforts.
  • Work with the study team to collect evaluation measures as needed for each program funder.
  • Make de-identified customer-level mobile market sales data publicly available for at least 2 years.
  • Share select mobile market resources (e.g., promotional/educational materials, business model analyses conducted by the study team) to include in the Veggie Van Toolkit for use by future markets. 
  • Provide updates and feedback about the mobile market program to the study team (e.g., interviews with staff) for up to 2 years.
  • Identify 2 community sites that would be willing to host the Veggie Van mobile market
    • Sites must be new (i.e., a mobile market has not been hosted at these sites before). 
    • At least 50% of individuals served by the community sites should be lower-income individuals or have a demonstrated needed for food access/assistance.
    • Community sites should serve a predominantly English and/or Spanish speaking community or have translation resources available for other populations.
    • Community sites should be places where community members are already receiving services or visit on a weekly basis.  Examples include, but are not limited to churches, federally qualified healthcare centers, worksites, libraries, community/recreation, and head start centers.
    • The study team will select one of these community sites to serve as a mobile market site and one to serve as a planning site (more details below)  
  • Run a mobile market, following the Veggie Van model, at one of the 2 community sites (Market Site). Mobile markets need to be operated on a regular basis (generally weekly) for at least 10 months out of the year.  Mobile market days and hours will be selected based on community need.
  • Engage in a year-long planning process related to food access at one of the 2 community sites (Planning Site). At the end of that time, partner organizations can decide if they want to work with the planning site to start hosting a mobile market or to implement another food-related program.
  • Create one or more community advisory boards to oversee mobile market work.
  • Develop and execute community engagement strategies at each of the 2 sites to identify at least 30 community members at each site to participate in data collection. Leveraging the sites’ programing and staff in this process will be helpful in not only meeting data collection needs but also ensuring successful mobile market programming.
  • Plan program kick-off and data collection events.  The study team will train at least one staff member or volunteer at each partner organization on collecting data from customers.
  • Track program process measures (e.g., how often cooking demos or other activities are completed at each site) using forms provided by the study team.

What Partners Organizations will Receive & Funding Overview - Veggie Van Study 
Our team includes experts with many years of experience in mobile market operation and food aggregation. In addition, members of our team specialize in food systems planning, engaging lower-income communities, program implementation and partnerships, business plan development and sustainability, changing diet and health behaviors, food benefit and incentive programs, and nutrition and cooking education. This toolkit also includes resources accumulated from working with successful mobile markets across the country.  
Partner organizations will receive:
  • Access to the online Veggie Van toolkit which includes:
    • Veggie Van Operations Manuals
    • Marketing and community engagement materials
    • Financial planning resources
    • “Point-of-sale” nutrition curriculum including a database of recipes by produce item and season, sample newsletters and activity ideas
  • Training on the toolkit and ongoing technical assistance throughout the study period related to the areas of expertise discussed above.
  • Free registration for the Mobile Market Summit during the partnership period.
  • Invitations to special pre-summit training days for partner organizations.
  • Assistance with community engagement and developing a community advisory board.
  • License for Farmers Register Mobile Market point-of-sale software ($800+ value) and iPad to run software (if not already using).
  • Access to data and reporting related to mobile market evaluation outcomes. In addition to standard measures collected by the study team, each organization will have the option to develop questions which they would like to have the study team answer.
  • Assistance with developing a sustainability plan and identifying program funding sources.
 Veggie Van Study Partners will also receive the following funding: 
  • Funding up to $25,000 to offset the cost of running a mobile market according to the Veggie Van Model and participating in ongoing evaluation efforts. This funding is not intended to be the only funding available for running a mobile market program.  In addition to market revenues, applicants are asked to identify other in-kind or financial resources which could support market operation. 
  • Sample payment schedule: Note continued payments are contingent on meeting requirements outlined above. All milestones must be met by June 2023.  
    • Milestone Payment #1: $10,00 after execution of contract with the University at Buffalo
    • Payment #2: $10,000 after completion of baseline data collection for both community sites
    • Payment #3: $5,000 after completion of 12-month follow-up data collection for both community site
  • Details on usage of these funds can be found here RFP Allowable Expenses

Example Timeline for the Veggie Van Study 
  • January 2022: 
    • Sign contract with University at Buffalo (Milestone Payment #1) 
  • February 2022: 
    • Establish MOU with and start community engagement at Market Site and Planning Site
    • Work with study team and panel of experts on mobile market program 
  • April 2022: 
    • Partner continue community engagement and market model programming
    • Study team starts baseline data collection at Market Site and Planning Site 
  • May 2022: 
    • Host Kick-off in-person data collection event  Market Site and Planning Site 
    • Launch mobile market at Market Site and planning activities at Planning Site 
    • Complete Baseline Data Collection (Milestone Payment #2) 
  • May 2022 - April 2023: 
    • Operate mobile market regularly for at least 10 months following Veggie Van model at Market Site 
    • Hold 4-5 planning activities over the course of the year at Planning Site 
  • April - May 2023: 
    • Host in-person data collection event at Market Site and Planning Site 
    • Complete Follow-up data collection Market Site and Planning Site  (Milestone Payment #3)
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Frequently Asked Questions​

Definition of Veggie Van Study Terms

Community Site: These are the two (2) locations within each partner organization’s service area which will serve as potential hosts for the mobile market program each week.  Invited applicants must provide letters of support from two potential community sites at the time of application. Partner organizations will sign a memorandum of understanding with each community site.  These 2 sites may become either a market site or a planning site; see below.
Mobile Market Site:  Community site where that partner organization agrees to run a mobile market program, following the Veggie Van model for at least one year starting approximately May 2022. 
Planning Site:  Community site that will engage in a year-long food access planning process.  Partner organizations will work with these sites to determine if the Veggie Van model or another program will be best for these sites.  After one year, the partner organization and the site can decide if they want to start a mobile produce market. 
Intent to Apply 
Please click below to complete the Intent to Apply form indicating that you would like to be considered for one or more of our partnership opportunities described above. Note that you will be considered for all opportunities.  We will reach out to eligible organizations within two weeks with further information on how to complete a full application.
Contact us with any questions!
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