Harvesting Healthy Habits

Eating fruits and vegetables has been proven to lower the risk for obesity and other diet-related chronic illnesses, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The healthier eating habits people have now, the less likely chronic diseases will develop over time.

Garden on the Go, IU Health’s year round mobile produce truck provides fresh, affordably priced fruits and vegetables to neighborhoods in need.

Snapshot of a Shopper

Garden on the Go shopper Della Fox used to shop for fresh produce at most once a month. The Indianapolis woman had no other choice, as there is no grocery store near her apartment. Della, a 68-year-old who suffers from diabetes, lives in a high-poverty area with limited access to healthy foods—what the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) refers to as a food desert.

Garden on the Go “has changed my life,” Della said. “I needed to have vegetables every day and because of the truck, now I can afford to buy enough vegetables to eat every day.” Della says she cut her blood sugar by nearly half during the first nine months of Garden on the Go’s weekly trips to her apartment complex, and reports higher energy. She likes shopping for squash, onions and greens, among other Garden on the Go offerings.

A Basketful of Health

Garden on the Go is all about providing healthy options at an affordable price. With just $7 you could fill your market basket with an abundance of delicious produce, such as:

1 Lb. Green Beans
1 Head of Lettuce
3 # Sack of Potatoes
1 bunch of Greens
1 Lb. of Tomatoes
2 Apples
1 Lb. Bananas

Or

1 Bunch of Broccoli
1 Yellow Onion
2 Lb Carrots
1 Green Pepper
3 Lb Yams
2 Oranges
2 Tangerines
1 Pear

You can pick up these fruits and vegetables at one of the 16 Garden on the Go locations throughout Marion County, Indiana. The Garden on the Go truck operates year round, Wednesday - Saturday, providing access to the healthy produce, no matter what the season.

For a complete schedule of stops or for more information, visit Garden on the Go.