Veggie Van Training Center

Overview of Services

The Veggie Van Training Center supports local and regional food systems through research and evaluation of evidence-based food access intervention. The VVTC provides training, technical assistance, reporting, and evaluation for organizations and professionals working to launch and/or expand a mobile market or other food access programs. The center is run by the Community Health Intervention Lab (CHIL) within the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. CHIL’s mission is to create, test and disseminate sustainable interventions that reduce disparities and increase access to healthy food and opportunities for people to be physically active. We work with a coalition of partners to support this work.
The UB Veggie Van Campus Mobile Market is a mobile produce market based at the University at Buffalo that serves the campus and surrounding community by providing fresh, healthy food at affordable prices. The goal of this mobile market is threefold:

1. address high food insecurity rates among college students;
2. serve as a living lab to test and adapt the Veggie Van model on an ongoing basis;
3. provide training on mobile market operation and food entrepreneurship to staff and students as well as Veggie Van Training Center clients.

Services include:

• The UB Veggie Van mobile market is available for one-time pop-up markets as well as regular market stops to support student food access, employee wellness, and community health through research partnerships.
• Food access program design, evaluation, and technical assistance.
• University-community and within community partnership development. We can help food access programs connect with local food distributors and community partners.

Leadership

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

https://publichealth.buffalo.edu/veggievan

https://www.ubchilab.com/

https://mobilemarketcoalition.org/

Contacts