Veggie Van Toolkit

VV targets lower-income individuals and families receiving SNAP and other nutrition or social programs at community organizations, such as health clinics, lower-income housing communities, and recreation centers. The design of the VV intervention is such that the organization's community ties are expanded, enhanced, and/or established through partner organizations already directly serving lower-income populations. This is essential because lower-income communities and communities of color often have less geographic access to stores selling fresh fruits and vegetables, which can influence perceptions of convenience of purchasing and preparing fresh fruits and vegetables. Veggie Van is designed to address these perceptions of the food environment by increasing access to fresh fruits and vegetables both geographically and socially. The pilot evaluation of VV reached 72 participants at three sites: a lower-income housing community, a community college, and a health department. The cluster-randomized controlled trial reached 201 participants at 12 sites.   Settings: Farmers markets, Pre-K & Childcare, Community-wide, Faith-based centers, Healthcare, Tribal Reservations, Schools, USDA program sites  Age/Population Group: Preschool, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, Pregnant/Breastfeeding, Parents/Caregivers, Adults, Older Adults Race: All Ethnicity: No special focus.

The VV toolkit includes resources to plan and implement a mobile market serving lower-income communities. These intervention components provide the plans and documents necessary to start a mobile market from the ground up. Core components include: Resources to assess community interest in a mobile market Guidelines for identifying stakeholders and community partners Resources to aid in developing a mobile market model Strategies to identify and work with market host sites Logistics for launching the program Educational materials Produce information in multiple formats to provide to participants Ideas for cooking demonstrations Ideas for taste tests Components can be customized according to the specific needs of implementing organizations, as well as their financial and social resources for starting the program.

To request access to the materials below, visit the sign up page Intervention materials for running a mobile market include: Identify Stakeholders and Community Partners: Guidelines to create partnerships in the community Develop a Mobile Market Model: Provides a reproducible template to develop a tailored mobile market model Work with Host Sites: Strategies for working with the sites that host the market Launch the Program: Guides implementers through the launch of the program Nutrition Resources: Provides nutritional educational materials

A summary of the VV outcomes can be found on the outcomes page   Outcomes include: People using VV found it easier to make a veggie dish with what they had on hand People in communities with VV were eating 3.6 cups per day of fruits and veggies while people in communities without VV were only eating 2.8 cups per day The VV received feedback from study participants via the Mobile Market Survey, focus groups with participants, and the Green Chart Evaluation Follow-up Survey. Based on feedback, two additional dimensions were added to the VV program to help ensure that research participants would receive at least a minimal dose of the intervention: dissemination of a VV newsletter and a voucher for a free bundle of produce. The following peer-reviewed journals provide full details of the impact of the VV and evaluation findings: Leone, L. A., Haynes-Maslow, L., & Ammerman, A. S. (2017). Veggie van pilot study: impact of a mobile produce market for underserved communities on fruit and vegetable access and intake. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition , 12 (1), 89-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2016.1175399 Leone, L. A., Tripicchio, G. L., Haynes-Maslow, L., McGuirt, J., Grady Smith, J. S., Armstrong-Brown, J., … Ammerman, A. S. (2019). A Cluster-Randomized Trial of a Mobile Produce Market Program in 12 Communities in North Carolina: Program Development, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , 119 (1), 57-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2018.04.010 Tripicchio, G. L., Grady Smith, J., Armstrong-Brown, J., McGuirt, J., Haynes-Maslow, L., Mardovich, S., … Leone, L. (2017). Recruiting Community Partners for Veggie Van: Strategies and Lessons Learned From a Mobile Market Intervention in North Carolina, 2012-2015. Preventing Chronic Disease , 14 , E36. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.160475 Lessons learned from the pilot and subsequent four VV sites operated in North Carolina include: Specific barriers to serving seniors Mixed perceptions of the bundling model for selling produce Participant perceptions of produce quality connected to their status as members of the target community For more information on lessons learned visit the Lessons Learned page Evidence Base: Research-tested

Based on the SNAP-Ed Evaluation Framework, the following outcome indicators can be used to evaluate intervention progress and success.   Readiness and Capacity - Short Term (ST) Changes - Medium Term (MT) Effectiveness and Maintenance - Long Term (LT) Population Results (R) Individual ST1 MT1     Environmental Settings ST7     Sectors of Influence       ST1: Healthy Eating The number of participants who set goals or intent to eat fruit The number of participants who set goals or intent to eat vegetables ST7: Organizational Partnerships In 2012-2015, a total of 53 community organizations were approached for recruitment, and ultimately, 12 sites were enrolled (Tripicchio et al. 2017) MT1: Healthy Eating MT1l: Cups of fruit consumed per day cups of vegetables consumed per day In the pilot phase (2011-2013), individuals who reported shopping at Veggie Van frequently (n = 32) increased their F&V consumption by 0.41 servings/day compared with a decrease of −1.19 for those who rarely/never used Veggie Van (n = 27), a total difference of 1.6 servings/day (P = 0.01). RCT results from 2013-2016 (published 2019), indicate a mean reported F/V intake of 3.4 cups/day.

Evaluation materials for the initial phases of the study include: Mobile Market Survey Follow-up survey and telephone script Veggie Van Focus Group Moderator's Guide To request materials, visit the sign up page .

Website: This website includes the toolkit sign up, an overview of the toolkit, as well as its model, history, and impact on the community. Contact: Email: contactus@mobilemarketcoalition.org     *Updated as of June 21, 2024