Route One Farmers Market: Mobile Farmers Market Success Story

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  • Received Food System Resilience Grant

    Route One Farmers Market was awarded $25,000 by SBCFAN’s Food System Resilience Grant program to launch the first Mobile Farmers Market as a pilot project to improve food accessibility in Santa Barbara County.

  • Joined mobile market pilot program

    Route One Farmers Market applied for and was chosen to join a Mobile Market Pilot Program that has been invaluable in supporting and advising their program development. The program, which is a partnership between Fresh Approach, Veggie Van, and The Farmers’ Truck, provides $60,000 in unrestricted funds by the Beacon Fund to support infrastructure development and program launch.

  • Visited fellow mobile farmers market operators

    The Route One Farmers Market team visited fellow mobile farmers market operators through their partner Fresh Approach and other pilot co-members. Fresh Approach, which has been running a mobile market since 2013, begins mentoring Route One as they prepare to launch their mobile market.

  • Visited fellow mobile farmers market operators

    The Route One Farmers Market team visited fellow mobile farmers market operators through their partner Fresh Approach and other pilot co-members.

    Fresh Approach, which has been running a mobile market since 2013, begins mentoring Route One as they prepare to launch their mobile market.

  • Hired a Mobile Market Manager

    In the Spring of 2022, Route One hired its first mobile market staff member to plan, coordinate, and manage the organization’s Mobile Market program throughout the Lompoc Valley. This management role is responsible for leading Mobile Farmers Market sites across the valley and directly supervising Mobile Market staff.

  • Celebrated Farmers Market Anniversary

    On May 1, 2022, Route One Farmers Market celebrated their third anniversary with live local music and introduced Route One’s brand new Mobile Farmers Market Truck to the community. At the event, they debuted the final options of the truck wrap artwork and the truck’s name. Attendants voted on their favorite art and name and provided feedback on how their truck can be accessible as possible in serving the Lompoc Valley.

     

FUTURE Plans for activation:

When they launch in 2022, this mobile farmers market will specifically serve Lompoc five days a week. The Route One Farmers Market will prioritize neighborhoods based on their access to fresh, healthy food.

The mobile farmers market will help expand access to affordable food by providing additional outlets for low-income community members to use their CalFresh/EBT benefits. CalFresh recipients can take advantage of Market Match to make their dollars go further when purchasing fresh food from farmers’ markets and mobile markets. Learn more about Market Match in the video.

In this video, our Market Navigator Sonia Sandoval shares how to use your EBT to shop at the market and maximize your money with Market Match.

NOTABLE SUCCESSES

  • “All of this progress came from seed support from SBCFAN grant funding. With this support we have been able to build the structure of the partnership for the pilot program, pursue additional funding opportunities, and nurture new connections.”
  • This project has been almost three years in the making to provide equitable access to produce, address food security, and strengthen food distribution in North Santa Barbara County.
  • “The best news is that, if all goes according to plan, we should be able to purchase our Mobile Market Vehicle early in the new year and have it up for operation by late Spring 2022!” – Shelby Wild, Executive Director, Route One Farmers Market

KEY METRICS

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State-wide Mobile Market Pilot Program Partners
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State-wide Mobile Market Pilot Program Partners
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grants

Activating Food Action Plan goals

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