Getting in your servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day can be hard, but for many in our area, it is not even an option.

According to the local nonprofit Hebni Nutrition, in Central Florida, over 90,000 people live in food deserts. That refers to an area where there is no full-service grocery store and limited access to fresh, nutritional foods.

However, a new initiative is taking the healthy foods off of the grocery shelves and directly to the customers. It’s called the Fresh Start Food Tour.

“Carrots… I am using onions, of course… and I’m using beets!” Fabiola Gaines said. Healthy food is a passion for her.

In college she studied nutrition, dreaming of someday being a Home Economics Teacher. But instead she became a dietician. That is when she noticed the inequity when it came to health issues in the community.

“I was working in a hospital that was predominately white and realized that most of the people who were dying were African Americans,” said Gaines, a founding partner of Hebni Nutrition. 

According to the US Department of Health, Black adults in the U.S. are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Statistics like that are one reason she started Hebni nutrition. Hebni nutrition aims to educate culturally diverse populations about nutrition and strategies to prevent diet-related diseases.

“We hit the ground running and 27 years later here we are with this beautiful fresh stop bus,” said Gains.

Their latest project is the Fresh Stop Bus tour, with uses a re-purposed transit bus outfitted with special refrigerated racks to become a farmers’ market on wheels.

On the tour, they visit local food deserts, which are defined by the USDA as areas where people have limited access to a variety of healthy and affordable food.

“Because as a dietician I am encouraging them to eat more fruits and vegetables but when you have a lack of access, it is hard to get people to do that,” said Gaines. 

They not only bring them the food, but teach them how to make them taste good, too.

“See, it’s all about flavors,” said Gaines, adding some garlic powder. 

Keema Matthews is a mother of two, and said it’s a struggle to get healthy food for her family on a budget.

“I have to choose between buying food and gas and it is kind of hard,” said Matthews.

Matthew shared that while her kids love fruits and veggies, unhealthy food is easier to buy.

“I don’t understand, I don’t understand that. If it was in a box it would be a lot cheaper,” said Matthews. “Box food is a lot cheaper. But stuff like fruits, vegetables, anything else is too much”

But thanks to the Fresh Start bus, she’s able to buy all kinds of fresh food at a fraction of the cost. Only having to pay $16 for several full bags.

“It is great, that excellent,” said Matthews, looking at her bags. “This would have cost me at least $30 or $40 in the store”

It is motivation for Gaines to keep the bus rolling.

“So you can continue to see your children thrive your grandchildren thrive and have a long healthy life,” said Matthews. According to Gaines, Hebni is uniquely qualified to tackle this issue as only 3% of registered dietitians in the US are African American. 

The Fresh Stop bus is taking a hiatus for the holidays but will start up again in January. For more information about the Fresh Stop bus and where it is heading next, check the website here.