DURHAM, N.C. – The Durham County Department of Public Health is throwing a party on Friday, May 24, but do not expect to indulge on the typical celebratory fare. Instead, those in attendance can expect to taste fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables such as carrots, kale and potatoes.

The celebration, being held in the Human Services Building parking lot from noon until 2:00 p.m., will kick off the Veggie Van’s first delivery to the Durham County Department of Public Health.

The Veggie Van program is run by the nonprofit organization Community Nutrition Partnership as part of the Green Cart program based at the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. The Raleigh-based company, The Produce Box, also supports the program by providing fresh produce from North Carolina farmers.

The Green Cart team is partnering with the Department of Public Health to bring fresh, local fruits and vegetables to Durham residents.

“Only about one in five adults and even fewer high school students eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day in North Carolina,” said Kelly Warnock, registered dietitian at the Durham County Department of Public Health. “A diet low in fruits and vegetables has been linked to many health risks.”

“As part of Goal 2 of the Durham County Strategic Plan, ‘Health and Wellbeing for All’, we are working to ensure that all Durham residents have access to healthy food. The Veggie Van is helping make this possible.”

The Veggie Van works with churches, child care centers, community organizations and other non-profits to deliver boxes of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables to people in the Triangle area who have limited access to these products.

Similar to a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, they deliver weekly boxes of produce for a set cost per box. Cost is kept low by ordering in bulk from local farmers and taking advantage of seasonal bounties. Boxes are also sold at two price points; people who are can afford to pay a higher price are asked to do so that others can pay less.

As an added service, they also offer recipes, cooking demonstrations and nutrition information upon pick-up.

Durham's partnership with the Veggie Van also aligns with North Carolina’s Community Transformation Grant Project (CTG Project) efforts that are going on in the county.

Administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CTG Project gives communities the opportunity to develop and implement initiatives to prevent chronic disease, promote healthier lifestyles, reduce health disparities and control health care spending.

“By selling high quality fruits and vegetables at a reasonable price and showing participants how to prepare them in a healthy way, we hope to make the City of Medicine more of a community of health,” said Warnock.

For more information about the kickoff event and other health and nutrition promotion initiatives in the community, contact Kelly Warnock 919-560-7857 or email kwarnock@dconc.gov.

For more information about the Veggie Van program, contact Jillian Mickens at 919-265-8023, email veggievan@cnpnc.gov, or visit www.cnpnc.org. 

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