First order of business is to come up with a name. While we fondly refer to her as the "Veggie Bus" now, this name is temporary while we brainstorm a new more inclusive name (we don't want to be limited to just veggies). Once she has a snazzy title, she'll need to be painted. By who? We're not sure yet, but perhaps students or a public art group like Concrete Couch. The goal is to be sporting a new paint job by the end of May. Then we need to outfit the bus, which will include the acquisition of coolers for the produce, a camp stove and utensils to do cooking demonstrations, and other fun gadgets like a blender bike (more about this later). We also plan to build steps for the back of the bus so people can walk through, attach tables to the side of the bus for easy display, and add shelving inside. The Veggie Bus is a blank slate and we can't wait to get started!
Next on the list will be deciding where the bus will go. We're building a list of events and contacts and will eventually have a schedule. How will you access this schedule? Well the once the Veggie Bus has a website and social media, you can access it from there. The goal of the bus is not only to provide access to fresh food but also to use the bus as an education tool to teach about the nutritional benefit of healthy foods, to increase self-efficacy regarding the selection, storage, and preparation of healthy foods (particularly fresh fruits and veggies), and increase awareness about the advantages of eating local and in-season. Our hope is to launch the bus June 2012. We have a lot of work to do, but we're up for the challenge! And so the adventure begins...
FYI, the Veggie Bus currently resides at Aspen Valley Ranch. Such a supremely gorgeous setting, I just had to share a few pics.
