A person wearing a bright green shirt with a logo that says 'Fresh Stop Team' is shopping for fresh vegetables at a grocery store or food truck. The shelves are stocked with potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, and tomatoes in green baskets.

The Fresh Stop Mobile Market

What We Do

The Fresh Stop Mobile Market program began in 2015 as a repurposed transit bus outfitted with refrigerated racks, created with one simple mission in mind: to bring fresh fruits and vegetables directly into the Central Florida neighborhoods that needed them most.

Fresh Stop has now grown into a community-driven fleet of specially equipped cargo vans along with a one-of-a-kind box truck designed to operate as a grocery store on wheels. Developed in partnership with the Sprouts Healthy Community Foundation, this innovative vehicle helps Fresh Stop reach even more families, seniors, and residents living in the heart of our region’s food deserts.

Together, these vehicles do more than deliver produce; they bring healthy options, dignity, and connection into underserved communities. By meeting people where they are, the Fresh Stop Mobile Market ensures that fresh, affordable fruits and vegetables are accessible in every corner of Central Florida.

powered by:

  • A young man on a green bicycle with a food delivery van and table set up for Fresh Stop Mobile Market. The van is orange with a large fruit graphic, and the table has promotional materials and supplies for the market.

    Veggie RX

    Veggie Rx is a produce prescription program where health providers will refer patients as a medical treatment, or preventative service, due to diet-related health risks or conditions, food insecurity, or other documented challenges to provide access to nutritious foods. 

  • Fresh vegetables displayed in green plastic baskets on a black metal shelf at a grocery store, including zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, and lettuce.

    EatWell Initiative

    Twice per month, participants enrolled in the EatWell program receive produce free of charge. To participate, individuals must receive SNAP/EBT benefits and live in qualifying communities for EatWell services. 

A woman wearing a green chef's jacket stands with hands clasped in front of a red mobile kitchen with white lettering.

THE FRESH STOP STORY

In 2010, Hebni Nutrition began conducting community nutrition assessments which included surveying smaller "mom & pop" grocery stores.  That work led to a greater understanding of the problems surrounding food access and food insecurity in our community.  In Central Florida, more than 90,000 of our neighbors live in food deserts  - a geographical location where there is no full-service grocery store and limited access to fresh, nutritional foods. Limited food choices often result in poor nutrition as families rely on fast food or processed foods sold by neighborhood convenience stores. In these neighborhoods, families are forced to substitute foods usually high in fat, sugar, and salt, which in turn leads to increased rates of diabetes, higher blood pressure, and other diet-related diseases.

At the conclusion of a project where Hebni worked with a corner store in the Parramore neighborhood of Orlando to introduce a fresh produce section to the store, the Fresh Stop bus concept was developed.  As envisioned by the team, Fresh Stop is a mobile farmer's market created to serve these in-need neighborhoods. The bus offers fresh fruits and vegetables in community-centered locations and at budget-friendly prices.

By providing expanded food options to targeted communities, Fresh Stop helps to drive positive health outcomes and create a road map for change for families hardest hit by diabetes and heart disease.

A woman and two girls shopping for fruits inside a mobile grocery store. The women and girls are selecting apples and tomatoes from green crates on display.

EatWell Initiative

EatWell is a grant-funded program by the Florida Blue Foundation. The program was developed with the end goal of increasing fresh produce in communities that experience high food insecurity. Twice per month, participants enrolled in the EatWell program receive produce free of charge. To participate, individuals must receive SNAP/EBT benefits and live in qualifying communities (West Lakes, Holden Heights & Tangelo Park) for EatWell services. To learn more about EatWell please email info@hebninutrition.org.

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Florida Blue Foundation logo with blue text and medical icons.
Children lining up at a mobile food and drink booth, with a person in front serving, located near a school bus and a fruit and vegetable stand.
People shopping at a grocery store produce section with various fruits in green bins.

What is a Food Desert?

A food desert is a geographic area where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options – including fresh fruits and vegetables – is restricted due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance. See the USDA Food Desert locator here (now called The Food Access Research Atlas).

According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, more than 2.3 million people (2.2% of all US households) live more than one mile away from a supermarket and do not own a car.*

In urban areas, economic factors have driven grocery stores out of many cities. An individual’s food shopping trip may require taking several buses, trains, or even a cab.

In Central Florida, more than 90,000 individuals live in food deserts, areas without easy access to fresh, nutritional foods. Limited food choices result in poor nutrition as families rely on fast food or processed foods sold by neighborhood convenience stores. Families are forced to substitute foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, which in turn leads to increased rates of diabetes, higher blood pressure, and other diet-related diseases.

The Fresh Stop bus is a mobile farmers market created to serve these in-need neighborhoods. The program offers fresh fruits and vegetables in community-centered locations and at budget-friendly prices. By providing expanded food options to targeted communities, Fresh Stop will drive positive health outcomes and create a road map for generational change for families hardest hit by diabetes and heart disease.

* “Food Deserts.” The Food Empowerment Project 2014.

Fruit and vegetable stand at an outdoor market with cronized green and red bins filled with colorful produce, including carrots, peppers, lemons, and leafy greens. Two women are managing the stand behind the table, with one standing and the other bending over.

Veggie RX

In 2019, Fresh Stop launched its Veggie Rx produce prescription program where health providers will refer patients as a medical treatment, or preventative service, due to diet-related health risks or conditions, food insecurity, or other documented challenges to provide access to nutritious foods. For more info about produce prescription programs, visit: www.nationalproduceprescription.org

If you are a health provider or health organization interested in learning more and want to offer the Veggie Rx services, please fill out the form below.

SNAP/EBT Application

SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) is the largest hunger relief program in the US, providing financial assistance to millions of Americans from coast to coast. Complete the mRelief screener below to determine your eligibility for the SNAP program.

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