![](https://prod-dm.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/practices/main_display_images/000/000/162/thumb/veggies_for_veterans_flyer_master_%283%29.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAR2ERFC2NISTHYXGG%2F20240901%2Fus-gov-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240901T092001Z&X-Amz-Expires=2700&X-Amz-Security-Token=FwoDYXdzEIf%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDKbDIsG%2Frk9BmjBf4iLkBEB4yD3FikGjbkMVJYZfPKftd40ajqEeainKUxVCBNUTiZcuGJOEX%2F48lmFXvgEDEh77lTHJFwhFjGLr4KVb9I4sKJPLPw9mxYkPEH%2BpXda4bJ93yv0v9JfDwoKaY5vDwT46ahKGOqcXTfYa7N0l5gfI5B6%2FAU4nc2zoMn5U2knG1HQMYjBoZTNi%2BC6hjUtY9RudP9R2K3BaZDQQdbgeIJpmFwQVYQN%2BFLJ6irRD1bpyKGANgfabGN16keKPrtNpQCkNfP%2BhbntAdgk5AYVJ7eSko8YbzpbYmD9zqJeDCbxKjubtT1%2FguPobtUNJ5%2BCirmrkRyEwCn0ap9rYoMxr9K5dqZzeNO7UX1yEbu8dEVVPcBrIWj8mgFIpcPq5hzFsvR2qRM8D%2FzAseSg75PnV0Wne4P05WsdkVeYgSu8aKZQS7tPN7i3WZ6Rwir93weTathDAPu6%2FytCnH1ylLQi%2FzaUgY2IJ3uQyhMp2Rsfb4s%2BmmQvwhMLAG1szUZnNGUfLrdGIv1tC33SrUhMWl8uWaWV3DBSKm0sD5lTatjFYBpg03PwHjewBcXJ8TYkb5lnK%2BxzJaSJ5pnD8%2BtLoMLH5VkVBUXPTZJS%2B19pA86z7Vgq27kEz6ZlSA%2FuCq%2BsJ9iOv7BAlSQpAPbOjiNuhGPIaTJke3Kfvx%2BFzAyZp5ztuA2ABGYyVbGlL1C9yekKVHG6cKzw7VJwV6zm4BU62PGiVEbrnHHCzrJWhNa1dYrns4wBALbCvkTuvfk93mNm2FgfA1osFzLIHv9LNc9mCVgAWScwSvCvMME1n0oVxKkZiStDrE8KbTyje0dC2BjJBg333%2BQtiYmarZdhfXE2%2BhtX39nKmIeDkJ68AB4s5ROIxp45nGCDz7KlI0p591gbv%2B7tocCV2%2FVa7LcCfxEhzIXM%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=3fdbf09d7746fe3f8230d804fe7e1f6d14b3d63ac473e9304b8f41b354112395)
Veggies for Veterans
Last updated
Share Print
Veggies for Veterans project focused on President Lincoln's promise: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. We did this by establishing a mechanism in which fresh fruit and vegetables could be made available by community donation for homeless veterans in Phoenix, Arizona.
Veggies for Veterans mobile market was established in collaboration with the Non-profit Diana Gregory Outreach Services in Phoenix, AZ. Over $105,000 has been raised to date. This service is located in a food desert within Phoenix. This program has transformed the lives of homeless veterans, through healthy eating choices, delivery and set up of a farmer’s market on their subsidized housing site and VA hospital. Collectively we were focused on improving the daily life of our homeless veterans and introducing them to our goals of education on healthy eating, choices when food shopping, and learning how to prepare fresh produce.
This is a successful collaboration between government, non-profit, and charitable giving secondary to a common goal. Our program has over 8600 veteran served at 66 markets since inception in April 2017 and will continue for the foreseeable future as community donations already received to provide markets through the end of 2021.
Origin:
April 2017, Carl T. Hayden Veterans' Administration Medical Center (Phoenix, Arizona)
Adoptions:
1 in-progress
Awards and Recognition:
Excellence in Government Alumni Award 2018, Diffusion of Excellence Dynamic Award 2021
Partners:
Diffusion of Excellence
![](https://prod-dm.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/practices/main_display_images/000/000/162/thumb/veggies_for_veterans_flyer_master_%283%29.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAR2ERFC2NISTHYXGG%2F20240901%2Fus-gov-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240901T092001Z&X-Amz-Expires=2700&X-Amz-Security-Token=FwoDYXdzEIf%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDKbDIsG%2Frk9BmjBf4iLkBEB4yD3FikGjbkMVJYZfPKftd40ajqEeainKUxVCBNUTiZcuGJOEX%2F48lmFXvgEDEh77lTHJFwhFjGLr4KVb9I4sKJPLPw9mxYkPEH%2BpXda4bJ93yv0v9JfDwoKaY5vDwT46ahKGOqcXTfYa7N0l5gfI5B6%2FAU4nc2zoMn5U2knG1HQMYjBoZTNi%2BC6hjUtY9RudP9R2K3BaZDQQdbgeIJpmFwQVYQN%2BFLJ6irRD1bpyKGANgfabGN16keKPrtNpQCkNfP%2BhbntAdgk5AYVJ7eSko8YbzpbYmD9zqJeDCbxKjubtT1%2FguPobtUNJ5%2BCirmrkRyEwCn0ap9rYoMxr9K5dqZzeNO7UX1yEbu8dEVVPcBrIWj8mgFIpcPq5hzFsvR2qRM8D%2FzAseSg75PnV0Wne4P05WsdkVeYgSu8aKZQS7tPN7i3WZ6Rwir93weTathDAPu6%2FytCnH1ylLQi%2FzaUgY2IJ3uQyhMp2Rsfb4s%2BmmQvwhMLAG1szUZnNGUfLrdGIv1tC33SrUhMWl8uWaWV3DBSKm0sD5lTatjFYBpg03PwHjewBcXJ8TYkb5lnK%2BxzJaSJ5pnD8%2BtLoMLH5VkVBUXPTZJS%2B19pA86z7Vgq27kEz6ZlSA%2FuCq%2BsJ9iOv7BAlSQpAPbOjiNuhGPIaTJke3Kfvx%2BFzAyZp5ztuA2ABGYyVbGlL1C9yekKVHG6cKzw7VJwV6zm4BU62PGiVEbrnHHCzrJWhNa1dYrns4wBALbCvkTuvfk93mNm2FgfA1osFzLIHv9LNc9mCVgAWScwSvCvMME1n0oVxKkZiStDrE8KbTyje0dC2BjJBg333%2BQtiYmarZdhfXE2%2BhtX39nKmIeDkJ68AB4s5ROIxp45nGCDz7KlI0p591gbv%2B7tocCV2%2FVa7LcCfxEhzIXM%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=3fdbf09d7746fe3f8230d804fe7e1f6d14b3d63ac473e9304b8f41b354112395)
Recent Updates
Overview
The problem
Data:
23% of homeless vets have high blood pressure
Nearly 1 in 4 veterans has diabetes
VA patients also tend to be older, have lower incomes, and hav ... To help address food insecurity for homeless and low income veterans living in a food desert in Phoenix AZ. Previously homeless vets have a larger number of health problems than the overall population .
Data:
23% of homeless vets have high blood pressure
Nearly 1 in 4 veterans has diabetes
VA patients also tend to be older, have lower incomes, and have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables
Veggies for Veterans market is held monthly at Victory Place which is in a Food Desert with limited access to fresh produce. There are 70 VASH ( VA Supportive Housing) and 130 Low income veterans residing here so this was an ideal place to target a large number of veterans with food insecurity See more
Images
![](https://prod-dm.s3.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com/practice_problem_resources/attachments/000/000/019/thumb/Veggies_for_Veterans_05272021_Diana_and_Isabel.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAR2ERFC2NISTHYXGG%2F20240901%2Fus-gov-west-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240901T092001Z&X-Amz-Expires=2700&X-Amz-Security-Token=FwoDYXdzEIf%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDKbDIsG%2Frk9BmjBf4iLkBEB4yD3FikGjbkMVJYZfPKftd40ajqEeainKUxVCBNUTiZcuGJOEX%2F48lmFXvgEDEh77lTHJFwhFjGLr4KVb9I4sKJPLPw9mxYkPEH%2BpXda4bJ93yv0v9JfDwoKaY5vDwT46ahKGOqcXTfYa7N0l5gfI5B6%2FAU4nc2zoMn5U2knG1HQMYjBoZTNi%2BC6hjUtY9RudP9R2K3BaZDQQdbgeIJpmFwQVYQN%2BFLJ6irRD1bpyKGANgfabGN16keKPrtNpQCkNfP%2BhbntAdgk5AYVJ7eSko8YbzpbYmD9zqJeDCbxKjubtT1%2FguPobtUNJ5%2BCirmrkRyEwCn0ap9rYoMxr9K5dqZzeNO7UX1yEbu8dEVVPcBrIWj8mgFIpcPq5hzFsvR2qRM8D%2FzAseSg75PnV0Wne4P05WsdkVeYgSu8aKZQS7tPN7i3WZ6Rwir93weTathDAPu6%2FytCnH1ylLQi%2FzaUgY2IJ3uQyhMp2Rsfb4s%2BmmQvwhMLAG1szUZnNGUfLrdGIv1tC33SrUhMWl8uWaWV3DBSKm0sD5lTatjFYBpg03PwHjewBcXJ8TYkb5lnK%2BxzJaSJ5pnD8%2BtLoMLH5VkVBUXPTZJS%2B19pA86z7Vgq27kEz6ZlSA%2FuCq%2BsJ9iOv7BAlSQpAPbOjiNuhGPIaTJke3Kfvx%2BFzAyZp5ztuA2ABGYyVbGlL1C9yekKVHG6cKzw7VJwV6zm4BU62PGiVEbrnHHCzrJWhNa1dYrns4wBALbCvkTuvfk93mNm2FgfA1osFzLIHv9LNc9mCVgAWScwSvCvMME1n0oVxKkZiStDrE8KbTyje0dC2BjJBg333%2BQtiYmarZdhfXE2%2BhtX39nKmIeDkJ68AB4s5ROIxp45nGCDz7KlI0p591gbv%2B7tocCV2%2FVa7LcCfxEhzIXM%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=3ae8252b4d3c9edd55a814024f6a10d00403a200d853a0b2012578cb68ccf590)
Above:
Veggies for Veterans co-founders Diana Gregory and Dr. Isabel Kozak
The solution
Links
- Veggies for Veterans market and Fox 10 local coverage Fox 10 news coverage
- News article Article on Veggies for Veterans
The results
Veggies for Veterans mobile market was established in collaboration with the Non-profit Diana Gregory Outreach Services in Phoenix, AZ. Over $105,000 has been raised to date. This service is located in a food desert within Phoenix. This program has transformed the lives of homeless veterans, through healthy eating choices, delivery and set up of a farmer’s market on their subsidized housing site and VA hospital. Collectively we were focused on improving the daily life of our homeless veterans and introducing them to our goals of education on healthy eating, choices when food shopping, and learning how to prepare fresh produce. Veggies for Veterans has been featured on TV, radio, social media and newspapers. See more
Metrics
- This is a successful collaboration between government, non-profit, and charitable giving secondary to a common goal. Our program has over 9200 veteran served at 53 markets since inception in April 2017 and will continue for the foreseeable future as community donations already received to provide markets through the end of 2021.
Diffusion tracker
Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)
Implementation
Departments
- Voluntary Services
- Social work
Core Resources
Resource type | Resource description |
---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
Optional Resources
Resource type | Resource description |
---|---|
PEOPLE |
|
About
Origin story
Original team
Isabel Kozak
Founder, ACOS Community Medicine Phoenix VA
Comment
Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.