I’m working at Fresh Corner Café, which is not actually a restaurant as the name suggests. While they do make food, it is actually an organization that is trying to increase access to affordable, healthy food for all. They do this by bringing pop-up markets that sell healthy prepared foods and produce to places like schools and community centers that people already visit frequently. Another way they are addressing the problem is by placing coolers in gas stations and corner stores that sell healthy items since many people do most of their grocery shopping at these places that offer almost 100% junk food. They also partner with and sell the products of local snack companies, supporting the community in a different way. Fresh corner is able to sell their products at a very low price in places where residents have little money because of the business model they use. They also run a catering business and sell their products in office buildings at a normal price, which brings in revenue. They can then use this to subsidize the products in areas that need it.
For our research project we are creating surveys to give at pop-ups to try and determine how they can be improved to become more accessible and attract more customers. We are also observing and interviewing customers at gas stations to see how this portion of their project can be improved. We are also trying to implement a nutritional education component into the pop-ups and promote cooking.
The first two weeks here have flown by which is relieving because I was worried that working 9-5 everyday would make the week drag on. Luckily, working at Fresh Corner has been so interesting and so much fun. I feel like I’m learning so much about the city, food access, and how businesses run. I’m lucky that bosses and coworkers are so amazing and so funny. The Green Garage is also probably the nicest office I’ll ever work in. I’ve also loved going around to different pop-ups and gas stations, which has shown me areas of the city I wouldn’t necessarily have seen otherwise and allowed me to talk to residents in those areas. Exploring the city with everyone in the program has been so fun and I feel like I have known everyone way longer than two weeks. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store.
Hey Maddy, I personally think it’s wonderful that you’re working in this particular area of food, and I’m not just saying that because you bring back Mitten Bites, even though it IS gonna be my lunch for pretty much the rest of the week (thank you).The whole vision of making healthy food accessible to all is something that isn’t emphasised enough in general, because large-scale corporations tend to up the prices on what they deem to be ‘organic’ or ‘healthy’. As much as I’d want to eat well, I’d still have my bank account to think about. Which is why I’m so happy to hear about what you’re doing at your organization, I think it’s great, and I wish you all the best! May you continue to enjoy what you do, and may our fridge be always filled with Mitten Bites.