***Executive Summary***
Supporting mobile markets as community-based health initiatives offers opportunities to strengthen regional ties and promote healthy eating. The Farmers’ Truck presents three partnership options for healthcare organizations:
- Letter of Intent: Show support for local mobile market programs and community champions through advocacy, funding, and in-kind donations. Establish tangible goals and demonstrate commitment to improving community health.
- Sponsorship: Partner with The Farmers’ Truck to establish and sustain mobile market programs across North America. Sponsorship can involve funding for training, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing among mobile market operators.
- Financial Pledge: Collaborate with The Farmers’ Truck and selected frontline operators by providing funding support. This enables the expansion of sustainable mobile market programs nationwide, with comprehensive reporting data showcasing the programs’ health impact.
Fill out our form to show your interest today!
Solving the problem of an overburdened healthcare system
COVID-19 notwithstanding, our healthcare system is overburdened. Fixing it at the national level will take massive amounts of resources of all kinds. That in itself feels overwhelming and impossible.
But what about improving things on a smaller, regional scale? Stopping the problems before they even start. Feels more achievable doesn’t it?
Partnering with community-based programs, like those that improve healthy food access, can make a big difference. Now take that strategy, and apply it across every region in the country. You’ll see real change beginning to happen.
Mobile farmers’ market programs are one such program. Identified in the Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health,1 mobile markets are gaining momentum nationwide. Why? They’re an ideal approach to fighting food insecurity and increasing healthy food access.
As a community health champion, you know how critical a healthy diet is to our overall health. Providing people with the chance to create healthy lifestyle choices plays a large part in preventive medicine. And that reduces the burden on our healthcare system.
Partnering with mobile market programs in your community will help you achieve just that.
The Real Impact of Food Insecurity
A few years ago, Antioch, California resident Earl, was hospitalized due to high blood pressure.2 Earl, his wife Kamilah, and their four children suffered from a lack of nutritious foods.
The nearest grocery store was over 10 miles away. Its prices were out of reach for the family of six who survived on a limited income. For Earl and Kamilah, a healthy diet was not possible and it took its toll.
But, when a mobile market began making stops in their community, they were able to buy fresh produce. Soon after, they switched to a plant-based diet. As a result, Earl lost 90 lbs.
The family is so thankful for the mobile market and how it’s improved their lives. Kamilah notes that the market has the best selection of fresh produce and the best prices for miles.
This anecdote is the perfect example of the impact that mobile markets have on individuals, families, and communities. It demonstrates how simple dietary changes can bring about remarkable change.
Finding Local Solutions to Food Insecurity and Preventive Health Practices
Communities suffer when there’s little access to affordable, healthy food within a reasonable distance. Areas such as these are labeled food deserts.
Because of the lack of nutritious foods, people who live in food deserts suffer from higher rates of chronic disease.3 These conditions are the main driver of the out-of-control healthcare spending we see today.4
Eating a balanced diet is part of the foundation for the prevention of chronic diseases.5 And the prevention of health issues is a key factor in reducing the burden on our healthcare system.
The current healthcare crisis affects every one of us, whether directly or indirectly.
Of all countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the US spends the most on healthcare.6 Yet, we still suffer from the highest rates of:
- Chronic disease
- Obesity
- Infant and maternal mortality rates
- Mortality rates for treatable conditions
Additional and alternate solutions are needed if we are to overcome it.
Community-driven health initiatives are gaining ground. Why? Because they empower citizens by providing practical solutions at a manageable scale. For these reasons, we stand a greater chance of success when looking at ways to fix our chronically ill healthcare system.
As your doctors might tell their patients: prevention is key.
Mobile Farmers’ Markets: By the People, for the People
Mobile markets are unique in that they bring healthy food where it’s needed the most and to those who need it the most. Organizations use them to help underserved neighborhoods improve healthy food access.
Mobile market operators promote healthy habits with regular stops at high-traffic locations throughout their communities.
Working closely with community members ensures they
- Stop at the right locations
- Supply healthy food
- Provide food that people want to eat
- Provide affordable food
This model empowers people to make healthier choices and lead healthier lives.
Because mobile markets are community-focused initiatives, their impact goes beyond providing fresh produce. It’s about creating stronger, healthier, happier communities.
The Social Impact of Mobile Farmers’ Markets
You know how important mental health is to our overall well-being. And having the right social support in place is a critical part of mental health strategies.
By their very nature, mobile markets provide a natural gathering place for residents. There they can catch up with old neighbors, meet new people, swap recipe ideas, and so much more. It gives people a chance to check up on each other and encourages stronger social ties with old and new friends.
This is exactly what happens in Colorado at GoFarm’s mobile market stops. They visit affordable housing communities for older adults living with disabilities.
Market staff can see the difference they’re making by the smiles on people’s faces as they look forward to the market’s bi-weekly visits.
Building partnerships within the community is part of the reason for its continued success. Often, organizations will reach out to GoFarm to seek a partnership with them. They see the value that the mobile market brings and want that for the people they help care for.
These are the principles that tie communities together. And mobile markets fit right in.
Building Partnerships With Community Health Initiatives
Prevention begins in the community. So it only makes sense for those who are in the healthcare sector to partner with community health initiatives.
The costs associated with preventing illness pale in comparison to the trillions of dollars we spend each year on healthcare.
Mobile farmers’ markets promote healthy eating by ensuring accessibility to nutritious foods in a welcoming, inclusive environment. The goal is to support everyone in the community. To enable people to lead full, independent, healthy lives. And in turn, the community thrives.
As an example, the Pacific North Fresh Mobile Market serves hundreds of homes throughout Del Norte County, California.
It provides the isolated, rural county with locally-grown produce at weekly stops in each community. Their food programs are free for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to access or afford fresh produce.
The purchase of the mobile market was a result of a collaboration among various local groups, including healthcare organizations, with an interest in addressing food insecurity in the area.
Ongoing funding and partnerships are critical to its continued success. But without the mobile market, hundreds if not thousands of people would miss out on the opportunity to adopt healthy habits.
Your Opportunity for a Strong Partnership in Health
Supporting mobile markets as community-based health initiatives has its benefits. It offers opportunities to further strengthen ties with your region and to promote healthy eating.
The Farmers’ Truck offers healthcare organizations three ways to partner with and support mobile market programs in your local area:
- Letter of Intent
- Sponsorship
- Financial Pledge
The first option is to issue a letter of intent that shows your support for local mobile market programs and community champions through advocacy, funding programs, and even in-kind donations.
The aim is to establish a tangible goal and show your commitment to improving and sustaining community health through a community health initiative.
The second option is to sponsor The Farmers’ Truck. This gives you the chance to partner with the leaders in establishing and sustaining mobile market programs across North America.
Sponsorship can involve funding for training and technical assistance. Or it can provide opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing among mobile market operators.
And finally, the third option is a commitment as a funding partner to collaborate with The Farmers’ Truck and selected/nominated frontline operators in delivering sustainable mobile market programs.
The Farmers’ Truck provides the vehicles, operating model, and impact reporting. The operators commit to all aspects of operational excellence.
Supporting The Farmers’ Truck with a financial pledge allows for the continued support and expansion of programs across the country. Reporting data demonstrating the programs’ health and impact is provided in return.
Mobile Farmers’ Markets and Healthcare Stakeholders: Partners for Healthier Communities
The need to address the healthcare crisis is urgent. Its link with poor nutrition and food insecurity is undeniable.
Easing this burden on a regional scale begins with preventive health strategies. They include promoting and providing the means for nutritious diets for everyone. This in turn reduces the costs and resources required to manage preventable illnesses.
Community-based programs, like mobile farmers’ markets, offer tailored approaches to better suit the unique needs of each region. The success of these programs is measured in the health outcomes of the people they serve, and the strength of their communities.
Because the missions and visions of mobile markets and healthcare organizations are intertwined, partnerships between the two make sense. Let’s work together to build healthier communities and empower healthier people.
Get in touch with The Farmers’ Truck today to learn more about our partnership opportunities. We’ll help you decide which one is the best fit for your organization and your community.
Resources:
- BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL STRATEGY ON HUNGER, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH | The White House
- Give Health: by Giving Families Access to Affordable Produce | Fresh Approach
- Food Insecurity and Chronic Disease | The Institute for Functional Medicine
- Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Diseases | CDC
- Disease Prevention | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- U.S. Health Care from a Global Perspective, 2022: Accelerating Spending, Worsening Outcomes
