In 2016 Allison Mitchell, a student at the University of Dubuque created a pop up food stand in one of Dubuque's Food Desert Neighborhoods. Her research explored resident's response to increased availability of fresh produce at a subsidized cost and the how encouraging neighborhood input on desired produce selection at the food stands impacted consumer participation.

1. Creating a Food Oasis
Allison Mitchell
Tri-State Local Food Summit
Sinsinawa Mound
11 February 2017

2. 
Why?
 Diet and lifestyle related
diseases are on the rise
 Correlation between limited
access to nutritional,
affordable food and obesity
 Obesity disproportionately
affects low-income
individuals
 Dubuque’s food deserts
 What is a food desert?
 North-end concentration
 Schools with rates of
overweight or obese students
37-44% of student body

4. 
Project’s aim/more
details
 Research Questions:
 How will residents in
Dubuque’s north-end food
desert respond to increased
availability of fresh produce at
a subsidized cost?
 How will
encouraging neighborhood
input regarding the
desired produce selection at the
food stands influence
consumer participation?
 Locations (Comiskey & Sutton)
 Surveys
 Measurement of data

5. 
Findings
 Residents used this
resource
 Total produce sold: $421
(including a no-sale night)
Produce sold to staff at UD
over $200
 122 total customers; 51
customers on a repeat basis
 At Comiskey Park we had a
high percentage of repeat
customers (54%)
 Not many surveys were
turned in/coupons
redeemed

6. 
Qualitative data
Triangulation of themes:
1. This project fostered
community relationships
outside of food desert
residents.
2. Customers asked questions
and shared comments about
produce that can be grown
locally.
3. Public swim lessons and
water-walking brought
customers to the Sutton Pool
stand.
4. Regularly scheduled, free
classes (such as Tae Kwon-
Do) brought customers to
the Comiskey Park stand.

7. 
Quotes from Journal
7/5/16 (Comiskey Stand):
“Andie Donnan (Manager of
farmer’s market) donated her
grandfather lettuce! It was
gorgeous! She also came down and
volunteered at the stand. It was
really cool to see customers talking
to her about how she grows it.”
7/13/16 (Sutton Stand):
“Man said, “I don’t remember the
last time I bought fresh food, it’s
easy when you’re right here.”
8/2/16 (Comiskey Stand):
“The child that sparked the idea for
the project stopped and it made me
very emotional. I felt a lot of pride
and almost a sense of completion.”
8/3/16 (Sutton Stand):
“Ladies talking in restroom about
stand, about reasonable prices and
nice to have healthy options
available right in front of the pool.”

8. Looking to the
future:
• Conferences
• APEX
• Iowa Governor’s
Conference on Public
Health
• Sinsinawa Mound Farm
Collaborative
• Finding ways to make
food stands a permanent
fixture in Dubuque’s food
deserts

9. The good thing in Dubuque
Together, lets give everyone in Dubuque equal ability to make healthy choices.