Now that Fresh Truck has been on the road for a few years we get a lot of questions about how we make decisions about how to operate the market and design our programs. To answer these questions and many more we are starting a blog series called ‘This is how we roll’. This month we will cover how we develop our Weekly Market schedule.
Fresh Truck increases access to healthy food by operating a year-round Weekly Mobile Market program across low-income communities in Boston. The market serves the same location at the same time each week carrying around 40 different fresh, nutritious, affordably priced food items. Over the past 4 years, we have learned a lot about what it takes to establish a strong Weekly Market site. As a result, we have developed a framework for location development that ensures our market is serving the right people at the right time and location that is most convenient for them.
- Partnerships – What organizations can we work with in the neighborhood?
- Working with the right partners can make all the difference. Nearly all of our Weekly Market locations are developed in partnership with organizations that are invested in keeping families and seniors healthy. Our strongest partners are health centers, housing developments, and other social service agencies.
- Market support. Our partners often provide wrap-around support for the market including translation help, indoor waiting areas during colder weather and blocking off a parking space for the market. In advance of establishing the location, we work with partners to agree on expectations for ongoing market support.
- The more the merrier. Our most successful market locations are partnered with four or more nearby community organizations who support the infrastructure and drive potential shoppers to the market.
- Parking spot – Where should the market be positioned so that it is accessible and visible to the most people?
- Secure a spot. Parking is the most obvious requirement for having a mobile market site but can occasionally be overlooked when it comes to logistics. A partner-owned parking lot is by far the best option but at several of our locations, we rely on our partners to put out cones in the morning or to make use of their load/unload zones.
- Visibility is critical. We find that most of our first-time shoppers were within eyeshot of the market when they decided to come check it out. We work hard to secure parking spots that are highly visible from the street, even moving a few yards can make a big difference.
- Build on existing habits. It is hard to get people to break from their busy routines so we try to be in places they are already going on a daily or weekly basis. This can mean parking in front of after-school programs at pick-up times or outside of a drug store so families only have to make one trip.
- Outreach – Who is nearby the location and how can we best reach them?
- Pound the pavement. We know it’s old school, but distributing flyers and having face-to-face conversations are the best way to get the word out about a new market location.
- Activate your advocates. We work hard to delight all of our shoppers and make sure shopping at Fresh Truck an experience worth telling their friends about. Several of our shoppers are excited to go a step further and conduct outreach for Fresh Truck within their neighborhood. We empower our advocates by setting them up with Fresh Truck swag, flyers and coupons to distribute to their friends and neighbors.
Fresh Truck Weekly Market Locations
