Your Donation Improves People’s Diets

The food that people get at The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) Mobile Markets is having a positive effect on their lives—according to those who are receiving it.

Members of GBFB’s Health and Research Team recently conducted surveys of people receiving food at GBFB’s health center Mobile Markets. The survey was the first evaluation GBFB has done on its Mobile Markets from the participant’s perspective.

GBFB operates free, monthly produce Mobile Markets in partnership with eight health centers in Eastern Massachusetts. Each household takes home 25 to 30 pounds of fruits and vegetables at each farmer’s market-style distribution.

There were 274 total respondents to the survey. Some of the key findings include:

• 44 percent of participants reported that most or all of their monthly produce comes from the GBFB Mobile Market.
• A majority of respondents (54%) said that they visit a Mobile Market every month.
• From a list of six possible benefits of the market, the most commonly reported benefits were increased fruit and vegetable consumption (86% of respondents) and saving money for non-food needs (85%).

“It’s nice to see that we’re really improving people’s diets,” said Rachel Zack, GBFB Epidemiologist. “We hope this will set the baseline for future improvements to our markets, so we can better serve those in need.”