July 2026 Newsletter

Fresh Food on the Move: Mobile Markets Expand Access Across Eastern NC

Welcome to this month’s update from the Healthy ROOTS Team! We’re working across 10 counties to improve access to healthy foods, create more places to be active, and support families and early care settings in building healthier futures.

Fresh food is on the move across North Carolina! This month, we're celebrating momentum in our efforts to support increased nutrition access across the region. Whether it's through the expansion of mobile markets in Healthy ROOTS counties, distribution of mobile market vouchers, hands-on cooking demonstrations, or new partnerships like Warren County's WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, our teams are working hard to put fresh, affordable food within reach of every community we serve. Read on for schedule updates, funding opportunities, and ways you can get involved this month!

County Spotlight:

Jones County Celebrates Grand Opening of Mobile Market

Families in Jones County now have a new source of fresh, affordable produce close to home. The county's mobile market officially opened in May, and the community came together to celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 16 at Gospel Light Church in Trenton.

The launch is part of a broader expansion by NC State Extension and partner Ripe for Revival, which is bringing mobile markets and a monthly voucher program to eight rural North Carolina counties, including Bertie, Halifax, Hertford, Lenoir, Northampton, Warren, Jones, and Washington, from July 2025 through March 2028. Eligible participants receive $20 vouchers each month to shop at Ripe for Revival's retrofitted mobile markets, which sell locally grown produce, eggs, dairy, and meat at prices roughly 20% below retail, while Extension staff provide cooking demonstrations and nutrition education on-site.

"We're not just feeding families — we're strengthening community health and supporting North Carolina farmers," says Basheerah Enahora, the Extension nutrition specialist leading the project. Read the full story here to learn more about how this partnership is reducing food insecurity across the region.

Other Project News & Updates

Featured Resource

Supporting a Mobile Produce Market:

An Implementation Guide

Funding & Vouchers

• Funding available for recipe/food demonstrations at the Ripe for Revival Mobile Market

  • With support from the Danone Institute of North America (DINA) Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, we are able to provide limited funding to support healthy food tastings and demonstrations at mobile markets. 

  • Please complete this short form to request funding for recipe/food demonstrations or tastings. 

  • See the Implementation Guide for additional information.

• Mobile market vouchers are available for all adult Extension program participants (including EFNEP participants) through March 2028 (or until funding is spent)! Extension program participants at risk of food insecurity can receive $60 in vouchers ($20 per month for 3 months) to redeem at the mobile market.

  • Submit the request form to offer vouchers to your Extension participants!

Training Support

• Healthy ROOTS Nutrition Access Office Hours

  • These sessions are open to interested county agents and EFNEP Educators and intended to provide time for collaborative discussion, idea sharing, and peer learning, specifically related to:

    • Mobile market support and vouchers

    • Supporting food pantries

    • ERS reporting when collaborating with the Healthy ROOTS initiative

    • General questions related to nutrition access programming and community partnerships

  • 📅 Next Session: Tuesday, August 18, 2pm via Zoom

  • 📧 Email Kennae Rawlings at krawlin@ncsu.edu with questions or to get information about how to connect to the Zoom meeting. 

Share This! (Social Media Toolkit)

⭐ Tips for posting:

• Tag Healthy ROOTS social media when reposting.

  • Facebook: @healthyrootsnc

  • Instagram: @healthyrootsnc

• Tag Ripe for Revival social media when reposting.

  • Facebook: @RipeforRevival

  • Instagram: @ripeforrevival

• Swap in your county name where relevant (e.g., "proud to support this work right here in [County]").

• These posts are formatted for Facebook. The link preview should auto-populate from the article URL — no extra image needed unless you'd like one.

  • For Instagram or to boost engagement, consider pairing with a stock produce photo (one of your own or one with a Creative Commons license) or one of these photos:

    • Ripe for Revival Mobile Market Photo 1

    • Ripe for Revival Mobile Market Photo 2

Upcoming Dates

• August 2-8, 2026: National Farmer’s Market Week: Celebrate by exploring NC State Extension's roundup of farmers' market resources. Find a market near you or check out vendor tips, manager toolkits, food safety guidance, and ways consumers can support and advocate for their local markets!

Thank you for your continued partnership in building healthier communities.

We look forward to sharing monthly updates, resources, and stories from across our region. 

With appreciation,

The Healthy ROOTS Team

🌐 https://www.healthyrootsnc.org/ 

✉️ healthyroots@ncsu.edu

This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $2,304,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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