Phase: 110 ways to make change!
The Florida Fruit Truck
Bringing Florida's fresh fruit directly to the community.
Written by Dana West
Idea (hoping to get started in the future)
1. Personal Journey: What's the story behind why you decided to start this project? NOTE: All applications must include a 1 minute video that answers: "I am stepping up to make change because..."
The Florida Fruit Truck is designed to inspire people to try new fruits and juices, and to demonstrate the convenience and great taste of eating fresh healthy foods.
Heart Disease and Diabetes are among the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States, with the CDC reporting over seven hundred thousand deaths in 2015. These diseases, among others, are preventable with healthy dietary and lifestyle choices. The CDC also reports that Non-Hispanic blacks are 40% more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have high blood pressure and have 77% higher rates of diagnosed diabetes.
The Florida Fruit Truck will improve the health of the community by offering access to affordable, high quality local and tropical fruits, cold pressed juices, and smoothies. The Florida Fruit Truck will be a mobile truck that will vend around the city of Tallahassee regularly, following a set route on weekends that visits various neighborhoods. This way The Florida Fruit Truck will be able to directly connect people with produce from local farmers, making healthy sustainable food convenient. Eating fresh fruits and veggies is a low cost and effective way to nourish the body and help fight against disease. Consuming the whole fruit or cold pressed fruit juice ensures the integrity of the nutrients and live enzymes are preserved so that the body and immune system are supported (not to mention it's delicious). The Florida Fruit Truck will show people in my community that healthy eating is simple, delicious, affordable, and convenient.
The idea came to me from two experiences: sharing my mother's cold pressed mango, orange, and pineapple juice with some friends I made one summer, and a conversation I had with a cardiologist later that year. My summer friends weren't particularly interested in hearing about plant based food or vegan diets, but they loved the juice and even contacted me a full year later inquiring about it. Remembering a conversation I had with a cardiologist, who told me that fresh fruit juices and smoothies provide a powerful boost to the immune system, I realized fruit juices could be a delicious introduction to simple, healthy eating. Bringing these food and juices to neighborhoods where there are people who are unfamiliar with them or lack access to them could spark an interest in health and fresh eating that could help lower the rates of preventable diseases in my community.
My project connects local produce and fresh juices with people with a lack of access, showing people how simple, delicious, affordable, and convenient healthy eating truly is.
With every person who is able to try a new experience or add a new healthy practice to their routine, the Florida Fruit Truck will be making a difference.
I plan to focus on reaching minorities and students in my community through promotional events at the two universities in Tallahassee, Florida State University and Florida A&M University, and at local farmers markets, restaurants, parks, and festivals. Connections with local businesses, shops, restaurants, farmers, and campus based organizations will allow The Fruit Truck to reach and serve the community effectively.
8. Future Support: What are the resources needed to make your vision a reality?
A food truck and food service equipment and permits
9. Finances: If applicable, have you mobilized any of the following resources so far?
Friend support
10. Ripple Effect: Please share some ideas of how you could partner with other changemakers or involve other young people as leaders in making a difference.
The Florida Fruit Truck would like to partner with local student and community run gardens and farms to further support community engagement in health and sustainability.
4 - This idea seems really exciting. With a little more polishing, it'd be among my favorites. - 83.3%
Dana West
Armani Simmons
19:44, Jul 15, 2018
Florida has most of the best fruit in the country! The fact that you all are taking advantage of that and helping others is amazing!