Mobile Produce Pantry

The Mobile Produce Pantry is a refrigerated truck full of fresh fruits and vegetables that we drive to specific locations across Humboldt County on a monthly schedule. We travel as far north as Orick, northeast to Willow Creek, Hoopa, Weitchpec, and Orleans, all the way south to Redway, and many spots in between to set up a free farm stand-style produce distribution. The fresh fruits and vegetables available from the Mobile Produce Pantry come from a variety of sources, including purchases from local farms. Our staff provide CalFresh information and application assistance on site, to help participants afford to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at local stores and farmers' markets over the rest of the month.

It takes creativity to address hunger and at the same time improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables throughout Humboldt County. Thanks to a network of local partnerships, Food for People launched its newest program in July of 2012: the Mobile Produce Pantry. The Mobile Produce Pantry is a refrigerated truck full of fresh fruits and vegetables that the food bank drives to specific locations across Humboldt County, from the far north and northeast, and all the way to the south, stopping in communities large and small in between to set up free farm stand-style distributions in communities where low-income residents struggle to access fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fresh produce is important for maintaining or improving one’s health and preventing diet-related disease. Food for People prioritizes fresh produce in all distribution programs, to make sure that families in need do not go without this important part of the diet. The produce available from the Mobile Produce Pantry comes from a variety of sources, including purchases from local farms. The fresh, and often organic produce, is combined with produce acquired through the California Association of Food Bank's statewide Farm to Family program, which provides more than 160 million pounds of California produce to food banks located throughout California. This makes it possible for us to support local agriculture, while stretching the funding as far as possible to provide great variety and quality.

A large amount of the fresh fruits and vegetables at the Mobile Produce Pantry are sourced from local farms. The map above shows the locations of farms throughout Humboldt County that we've purchased produce from to stock the Mobile Produce Pantry

Food for People's Nutrition Education staff accompanies the driver to each Mobile Produce Pantry site to provide nutrition recipes and recipe taste tests and to help with planning healthy meals on a budget. In addition, outreach staff provide education and assistance with applying for CalFresh, a USDA nutrition assistance program that helps income-eligible households stretch their food budgets so that they can afford to purchase healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables at local stores and farmers’ markets throughout the rest of the month.

Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is a major partner, providing an array of county services at Mobile Produce Pantry sites with their DHHS Mobile Outreach Vehicle. The goal is to give residents in outlying areas of the county access to an array of services DHHS provides.  Together, both DHHS and the Mobile Produce Pantry collaborate to visit sites together on a monthly schedule, so people can easily access both groups’ services in one location. The two vehicles visit community and family resource centers throughout the county, in addition to other community-based sites.

If you have any questions about the Mobile Produce Pantry, please contact our Mobile Produce Pantry Specialist at MobileProduce@foodforpeople.org or call us at (707) 445-3166.