USDA Under Secretary to Visit Mobile Farmer’s Market in Virginia
ALEXANDRIA, VA – (August 2, 2012) – USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos will visit Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture’s Mobile Market stop at the Fairfax County South County Center in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday, August 2 to learn about strategies for developing farmer’s markets in underserved communities and the impact of Bonus Dollars programs on nutrition benefit redemption at farmer’s markets.
WHO: Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos
WHAT: USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos Visits Mobile Farmer’s Market in Virginia
WHEN: Thursday, August 2, 2012, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fairfax County South County Center
8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309
“Inova supports the Arcadia Mobile Farmers’ Market through our “Buy Fresh Buy Local” program and matches the first $10 in food stamp purchases,” states Robert Lazaro, Jr., Community Affairs Executive for Inova.
Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture is a nonprofit dedicated to growing an equitable and sustainable food system in the Washington, DC area. Arcadia’s Mobile Market, which launched in May, is a retrofitted school bus that distributes fresh vegetables, fruit, milk, eggs and meat from Arcadia Farm and other local, sustainable producers. The Mobile Market aims to serve neighborhoods that lack healthy, affordable food options by making scheduled, weekly market stops in targeted areas. This season, Arcadia’s Mobile Market is conducting two market stops in Virginia and six stops in Washington, DC. The Market season is from May through October.
The Mobile Market’s offerings are available at below market rates for those who need it most because Arcadia accepts SNAP (formerly known as “Food Stamps”), WIC (Women, Infant and Children checks), and Senior (Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program) checks and offers a “Bonus Bucks” program, matching these benefits dollar for dollar up to $10 (i.e. $20 worth of food for $10 in SNAP, WIC or Senior FMNP). The Virginia Bonus Bucks program is made possible by partnerships with Inova and Wholesome Wave. Washington, DC Voucher and Bonus Bucks are made possible through partnerships with the Capital Area Food Bank and United Medical Center.
The Mobile Market also provides cooking demonstrations, recipes, nutrition information and resources for how to get fresh, local produce elsewhere in the area, and SNAP pre-screening and application assistance. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, Inova and Fairfax County provide additional nutrition education and SNAP outreach at the South County Center. During the school year, the Mobile Market visits schools in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, where students learn about where their food comes from, nutrition, and cooking through games, teaching exercises and hands-on activities.
Arcadia’s Mobile Market is made possible by the support of Chipotle, Clif Bar Family Foundation, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, and Neighborhood Restaurant Group.
Under Secretary Avalos will visit Arcadia’s Mobile Market to learn about innovative farmer’s market and nutrition outreach programs in underserved communities that increase access to fresh, local, nutritious foods.
Media Contact: Rita Wakefield, 703-664-7109
Rita.wakefield@inova.org
Media Contact:
Matt Mulder
Director of Development and Communications
Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture
(202) 365-0158
Matt@Arcadiafood.org
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Inova is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research.
About Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture
Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture was founded by the partners and chefs of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group in 2010 with the goal of creating a more equitable and sustainable local food system in the Washington, DC area. Arcadia’s mission is to improve the health of our community, strengthen the viability of local farmers, and preserve our environment for future generations. We do this by combining education about healthy food and its sources with better logistical connections between local, sustainable farmers and consumers. Thanks to a landmark partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Arcadia is located on the grounds of the historic Woodlawn Plantation, once a part of George Washington’s farms at Mount Vernon just a few short miles from downtown Washington, DC. For more information please visit www.arcadiafood.org.