As part of the Public Health Essentials training, participating counties design a community project to create change within their community. Each participating county receives seed funding to set up a community project. Three counties are working to address food insecurity in different yet impactful ways.

Steuben County has worked with a local farmer to deliver fresh fruits and vegetables to areas around the county with limited access, frequently referred to as food deserts. The van makes three stops a week for 9 weeks. Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Steuben County was able to help the farmer complete the paperwork to accept Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers, further increasing the accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables. The program has been highly successful, has now added a second farmer, and will add more stops over a longer period. The funds and stipend the farmers receive from this program make this much-needed service feasible. Without it, farmers would not have generated enough income to cover the costs of producing and transporting the food.

Allegany CCE hopes to replicate the veggie van model in its county to help address similar problems. Meanwhile, Chenango CCE is developing a project to enhance the existing kitchen in their main office. By adapting the kitchen, they can offer more food and nutrition services to the community.