YMCA Veggie Van brings fresh produce to the community

WIMAUMA, Fla. (FOX 13) - The YMCA has come up with a creative solution to help supply families with healthy foods.

Bernarda Martinez and her family are glad to see the YMCA's Veggie Van come to Wimauma. It's a mobile market that drives to areas without access to affordable, healthy food choices.

"We come here because they have no supermarkets close to their neighborhood, so their choices are to go to little corner stores," said Elizabeth Roman who drives the Veggie Van.

They sell pre-packaged fresh fruits and vegetables for a dollar. Each person is allowed to buy two. 

"This is really good help for this community. It is really helpful to us," Martinez said. "For one dollar, you can't buy this in the store. For sure you can't buy this for one dollar."

The van's mission is to bring health and nutrition to communities in need.

"This helps a lot for us. It's really good for us. So, we want to say 'thank you,'" Martinez said.

In 2018, the Veggie Van served more than $8,000 people and sold more than 18,000 bags of fresh produce to people in the Bay Area. For more information, visit https://www.tampaymca.org/programs/community-programs/veggie-van/.