Veggie Van Delivers Free Produce During Pandemic

Visits to “food deserts” are more frequent and there are no eligibility requirements

The Veggie Van has a knack for helping people who have trouble getting fresh fruits and vegetables – now more than ever.

Commissioned by the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, the colorful produce stand on wheels regularly rolls to neighborhoods where no full-service grocery stores exist. It’s still doing so amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but now each bag of bananas, onions, oranges, sweet potatoes, apples, greens, and other nutritious food is free, rather than the nominal $4 monthly cost during better times. And the Veggie Van delivers weekly, instead of the usual every other week. Another difference: All preregistration and eligibility requirements are dropped during the coronavirus outbreak. The bags — one per family, per delivery — are available to anyone.

Feeding Tampa Bay, a nonprofit which strives to ensure everyone has access to food, provides much of the produce. Items such as peanut butter, cereal, applesauce, and milk also are distributed.

The Veggie Van makes stops in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. In Hillsborough, it rolls to Tampa Heights, Sulphur Springs, Plant City, Wimauma, and Dover. Many families in these areas struggle to find fresh produce under normal circumstances. It’s particularly difficult now. “When the Veggie Van saw the need in the community, we stepped in and out of our traditional delivery schedule to try and help the families on a weekly basis,” says Mobile Food Market Director Elizabeth Roman.

The prepackaged bags are placed on portable tables, and Veggie Van supervisors insist everyone follows social distancing practices. Strategically placed cones help ensure patrons remain at least six feet apart while waiting to pick up the bags.

To find out where and when the Veggie Van will appear, see the Veggie Van’s Facebook page, email Tampa YMCA Vice President of Operations Lauren Reyes at lauren.reyes@tampaymca.org, or call (813) 867-5440. If emailing or calling, be sure to give your name and location.

Despite temporarily stopping its normal programs, the Tampa Area Metropolitan YMCA is offering services to help residents get through the COVID-19 outbreak. It offers care for children of essential workers, virtual exercise classes, a virtual weight-loss program, and a school-based literacy program, YReads!, for students already enrolled in the program.

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