POP! Market feeds over 11,000 Low-Income and Minority Individuals in Virginia Food Desert during COVID-19 Pandemic
POP! Market Van
The city of Petersburg Virginia is classified as a food desert where low income and minority residents do not have access to fresh, wholesome foods (USDA, 2020). Due to a lack of access to healthy foods, four out of every 10 Petersburg adults are clinically obese (CDC, 2016). With almost one in three low income families in Petersburg receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Virginia State University’s Family and Consumer Sciences Program in partnership with Petersburg Healthy Options Partnerships, Petersburg Healthy Community Action Team, River Street Market and the Harding Street Urban Agriculture Center have teamed up to establish a new market concept called POP! (Petersburg Offers Produce) Market. The POP! Market was established in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic providing Petersburg residents with affordable produce within convenient walking distance of their neighborhoods.
As a result of four POP! Market events in 2020, over 120 fresh produce boxes with a retail value of $20 each were sold at half price to SNAP customers, amounting to $600 worth of free, local produce to low-income Petersburg families. Additionally, the POP! Market has also continued to partner with community and faith-based organizations to assist in distributing food during the COVID-19 pandemic to 11,321 individuals, to include school age children, elderly, and families in need, with a retail value of $112,786.00.
For more information, contact Deb Jones, Extension Specialist at dsjones@vsu.edu
NOTES:
Retail Value Information on Food Distribution
3,072 chicken/soup & bread meals, valued at $20 each = $61,440
7,000 hummus snack kits, valued at $1 each = $7,000
1,200 pounds of local potatoes, valued at $2 per pound = $2,400
452 pints of local berries, valued at $3 per pint = $1,356
4,245 bagged lunches, valued at $5 each = $21,225
701 boxes of produce, meat, deli & bakery items, valued at $25 each = $17,525
48 bags of pantry foods, valued at $20 each = $960
44 boxes of local produce (including onions, lettuce, tomatoes & squash), valued at $20 each = $880