Help Increase Food Access and Security in Rural NC

Wow! It's 2022 already! 2021 was a whirlwind and we're excited to share with you some of the impacts your donations have made in Carteret County.

2021 End of Season Survey

We recently sent out our annual end-of-season survey to measure our impact in the community across all of our programs. Here is some feedback from our community regarding our Veggie Van program:

• More than 2/3 of respondents stated that they increased their household consumption of locally grown produce by 25% or more in 2021 as compared to 2020.
• 60% of households received some kind of financial assistance in 2022 such as SNAP, WIC, or free or reduced school lunches.
• 75% of survey respondents shopped from the Veggie Van this year, nearly half of those taking advantage of matching programs and incentives for low-income families.

By the Numbers

• We purchased more than $20,000 in local produce from our farmers to distribute via our Veggie Van. That's $20,000 that stayed in Carteret County in 2021.
• CLFN helped customers use more than $3,000 in SNAP/EBT funds to purchase fresh produce and matched more than $1,600 via RAFI's Fresh Bucks incentive.
• The Veggie Van had more than $600 in other incentives and discounts such as survey participation incentives.

New Veggie Van

Thanks to donations, community support, and our founder, we are in the process of retrofitting our new Van! We purchased an old school bus and are outfitting it to serve as our Mobile Market in the upcoming year. This means more room for more produce and more selection!

The Carteret Local Food Network team is excited to continue this program through 2022 and we hope to expand by adding more volunteers, increasing our Mobile Market locations dates and times, and doing more in the community.

Thank you for all of your help and support in 2021! We look forward to maintaining these great relationships in 2022!

If you'd like to volunteer to help with our Veggie Van Mobile Market, please reach out to Chef Caroline, our Farm & Food Director and Mobile Market Manager at Caroline.clfn@gmail.com.

Happy Fall, y'all!

Carteret Local Food Network has grown by leaps and bounds this year thanks to all of the support we've received. Community sponsors and individual donors like yourself have been instrumental in helping us achieve our goals. Thank you! We couldn't do it without your love and unending encouragement.

Here are some highlights from the Veggie Van Program this year:

1. Thanks to financial support from our community, sponsors, and donors, we have spent nearly $20,000 on produce from our local farmers as of September 25th! That's $20,000 that has stayed in our community and helped both large and small-scale farmers start recovering economically. 
2. We have been able to expand our Veggie Van route from five weekly stops to eight all across Carteret County. These additional stops have allowed us to reach even more community members and bring more fresh produce to these homes.
3. We just received word that we have been selected to participate in the second tier of the University of Buffalo's Veggie Van Study. We will be able to offer seniors who shop at our Veggie Van Mobile Market an additional discount.
4. The Veggie Van will continue to participate in the Fresh Bucks program, allowing SNAP/EBT users to double their buying power up to $20 per market per day!

Again, we couldn't do what we do without your help! Thank you for your support and we look forward to continuing to serve you.

Eat local!

Links:

• Get Involved & Volunteer!
• See what others say about us
• Visit us or contact us directly