the kck mobile market Summer 2018
A community health initiative to make fresh and affordable food more available in Wyandotte County.
Planning Team
NourishKC Community Health Council Dotte Agency / KU Architecture UG WIC K-State Extension Humana El Torito
Community Partners
Food Systems Action Team Grocery Access Task Force Latino Health For All Coalition Wyandotte County NBRs and more
Major Financial Support
Health Care Foundation of Greater KC Menorah Heritage Foundation Humana
Contact NourishKC
bheyen@nourishkc.org
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Table of Contents
3 | Introduction 4 | Access 6 | Team 7 | Partners 10 | Principles 12 | Engagement 16 | Proposal 20 | Sustainability 22 | Progress Updates
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Introduction
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the KCK Mobile Market! This project represents a community-led and evidencebased approach to improving food access in Wyandotte County. It has been supported through private efforts among community organizations and non-profits working together to increase access to food. While it does not replace a grocery store, it has been designed to be critical resource for those residents that find it difficult to get to their nearest grocery store. The goal of this project has been to improve our community’s health by improving the accessibility of food. The KCK Mobile Market has been in development and has evolved for over two years (January 2016 - April 2018). We’ve learned a lot along the way! Over that time, we’ve also forged partnerships and relationships, and are excited to being coming up on our official launch. While there are still things for us to complete before we launch, we’re most excited that this project will now be governed by the Wyandotte County community, through the Mobile Market Community Council.
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Team
Over the last couple years, the KCK Mobile Market planning team has directly supported the development of the mobile market: NourishKC (formerly Episcopal Community Services) General operations
Dotte Agency
Development, design, and fabrication
El Torito
Wholesale distribution partner
Community Health Council (CHC)
Community health network and financial support
Wyandotte County WIC Program
Technical assistance in getting WIC store designation
K-State Extension
Technical assistance in policy and community engagement
Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Mobile Market Community Council facilitation
Humana
Initial seed funding and collaboration
Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City Major financial support for prototypes and staffing
Menorah Heritage Foundation
Funding for fabrication of the KCK Mobile Market
Partners
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We have also been fortunate to connect with so many other great neighborhoods and organizations advocating for improving food access: Health Communities Wyandotte Food Systems Action Team KC Healthy Kids
Grocery Access Task Force
Latino Health For All Coalition Harvesters
Catholic Charities Kanbe’s Market
KU School of Business
NBC Community Development Corporation Historic Northeast Midtown Association
Rosedale Neighborhood Development Assoc. Central Avenue Betterment Association KCK Public Housing Rollin’ Grocer
Additional financial support has been generously provided by the following partners: Shawnee Mission Health Partners in Primary Care
United Methodist Women COR
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Access
Diet plays an important role in lowering the rates of chronic disease. However, for many low-income residents, just getting to and from the grocery store can be a challenge:
31%
Of households in Wyandotte County that have 3 or more people have 1 car or less.1
0.9 miles
Is the national average distance that households on SNAP without a car travel to their preferred grocery store.2
21,359
Residents of Wyandotte County are considered to have low income and limited access to a grocery store.3
One out of every four children in Wyandotte County is considered to be food insecure, defined as a lack of consistent access to food.4
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Access
I-6 3
QUINDARO BLUFFS
NEARMAN HILLS
FAIRFAX
Leavenworth Rd
NORTHEAST
27th St
BETHEL WELBORN
51st St
Parallel Pkwy
Quind aro Blvd
DOWNTOWN
State Ave
CORONADO
RIVERVIEW
wy
agon al
S 18th St
MUNCIE STONY POINT
Kansas Ave w Ka
Dr
Kansas Ave
ARMOURDALE
7th St
I-635
Edwardsville Dr
Metropolitan Ave
I-435
LAKE QUIVIRA
West of Interstate 635
Total Population:
WIC Grocery Stores:
ARGENTINE
69
Dr ay
TURNER
5
I-3
HWY
llid Ho
S 59th St
Kaw Dr
S 55th St
MORRIS
Kaw Dr
SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
So
S 130TH ST
Kansas Ave
EDWARDSVILLE BONNER SPRINGS
I-70
Santa Fe
d
er Di
lv
Turn
tB
24
Ce ntr al A ve
KENSINGTON
I-70
es
Y
ge Pk Colle
78th St
I-435
W
H
I-70
7th St
18th St
10th St
NORTHWEST
State Ave
State Ave
hw
59th St
63rd St
72nd St
VICTORY HILLS Parallel Pkwy
ut
Leavenworth Rd
PIPER
5
One way to look at food access in Wyandotte County is by looking at where WIC is. The map below illustrates the gaps in grocery access.
Steele Rd e Dr
Shawne
m Ln
ria Mer
ROSEDALE
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL
East of Interstate 635
80k 84k 10 5
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Access
One thing we’ve heard from many residents is the desire to see a grocery store built in KCK. The numbers below reflect the expected costs for each type of store. The final number reflects the cost of construction divided by residents living within walking distance to a specific proposed store site.
Store Typology Compa Grocery Store Typology Comparisons: Big Box
Vacant Store
New Construction
Renovation
15,000 SF
12,000 SF
$9,000,000
$1,250,000
665 / 2,481 / 15,352
666 / 2,079 / 8,386
1 Location
1 Location
$3,627
$600
Person / 0.5 Mile / Site
Person / 0.5 Mile / Site
C
83
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Access
One public health study found that building a grocery store alone won’t solve issues of food access for those without cars. At the same time, the study saw that a shorter distance to a grocery store is linked to a reduction in chronic disease 5. This suggests that small, adaptive projects like a mobile market can meet people where they are.
mparisons
e
6
Corner Store
Mobile Market
Improvements
Retrofit
4,000 SF
24 foot-long truck
$10,000
$90,000
837 / 2,982 / 13,752
~722 / ~2,514 / ~12,497
1 Location
25 Locations
$3.35
$1.43
Person / 0.5 Mile / Site
Person / 0.5 Mile / 25 Sites
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Principles
Through conversations with our planning team, our partners, and Wyandotte County residents, our goal has been for the KCK Mobile Market to be:
Accessible
The KCK Mobile Market is designed to make buying groceries easy. With weekly visits to neighborhood locations our goal is for grocery shopping to be as convenient as possible.
Affordable
The KCK Mobile Market will be stocked by a WICapproved vendor. This means the prices on the KCK Mobile Market are the same as what you would find in a grocery store. The KCK Mobile Market will also accept SNAP/EBT and electronic WIC vouchers.
Healthy
The KCK Mobile Market will carry fresh fruits and vegetables as well as essential items and recipes designed to reduce type-2 diabetes. After we launch, we expect to rollout additional food education and nutritional assistance programs that complement the mission of the KCK Mobile Market.
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Principles
What makes the KCK Mobile Market unique is that it can connect people to health networks while providing a service that makes grocery shopping more convenient.
Accessible
Food education programs
In-store pricing on location
Community - selected WIC food items
Healthy
Affordable
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Engagement
We asked: What do folks really want? Thanks to our friends at the NBC Community Development Corporation, 8th Street YMCA, Glanville Towers, and Crossline Towers, we were able to host four Mobile Market pop-up engagements in various KCK locations. Over 100 individuals let us know what they would want to see and buy on the KCK Mobile Market. The events gave us insight as to where the Mobile Market should go, how often they’d people would shop there, and how they’d like to learn about its hours and locations. While the information we’ve gathered from these popup engagements has helped inform our development phase, we will continue to find ways for the residents of Wyandotte County to participate and inform the KCK Mobile Market as it goes forward. If you’d like us to meet with your community, please feel free to connect with us.
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Engagement
We learned that: Q1. Fruits and vegetables were the most desired foods, followed by meats & poultry and then meal kits. Q2. Locations need to include more than just business zoned areas. People asked to see the KCK Mobile Market at community locations such as schools, parks, and senior housing. Current zoning policies would need to be revised to allow for mobile market access at community locations. Q3. When considering other options for new food retail access, if it came to their neighborhood weekly, shopping at the KCK Mobile Market was the most popular choice. Q4. Text messaging is the best way to connect with customers regarding KCK Mobile Market hours and locations.
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Engagement
Question 1: Participants were given five $1 bills and one $5 bill of monopoly money and asked to distribute it according to what they’d buy on the Mobile Market. They were instructed that their $5 bill amounted to a ‘must-have item’. $1 bills
$5 bills
96 Total Participants
Fruits Vegetables Meal Kits Dairy Juices Meat & Poultry Basics Canned Goods Grains 0
25
50
75
100
Question 2: Participants were asked what locations they’d like the Mobile Market to go to. The question was open-ended, and they were allowed as many locations as they wanted. Businesses* 14.1%
Out of 177 Total Locations Listed
Parks 13.0%
Housing 22.6%
Places of Worship 5.0%
Schools 18.1%
Neighborhoods 26.6%
* Areas zoned for Commercial are the only locations currently allowed for by zoning ordinances.
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Engagement
Question 3: Participants were asked how often they’d shop at four new food retail options if they were all were available today. All four options relate to current efforts underway to improve food access in Wyandotte County. Always
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
65 Total Participants
40 30 20 10
A New Supermarket Pro: Great selection. Con: Low access.
A Local Grocer Pro: Good selection. Con: Some access.
Fresh Food at a Convenience Store Pro: Good access. Con: Low selection.
Mobile Market Pro: Great access. Con: Low selection.
Question 4: Participants were asked how they’d like to connect to the Mobile Market to learn about hours and locations. Text Messages Facebook Emails Postcards / Fliers Phone Calls Websites Friends Social Groups Billboards * Noticing It *
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
* Billboards and ‘Noticing It’ were not original categories, but added by the participants.
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Proposal
To maximize customer convenience, The KCK Mobile Market is designed to be accessible from the sidewalk. With one side dedicated to retail and the other to storage, it can make multiple stops a day from its overnight stocking location. A retractable awning will allow for the Mobile Market to operate year round.
Additional dry goods, WIC food items, and essential grocer items will be stocked.
Most items will be at eye level for customers, accessible from the sidewalk, and without the need to enter the vehicle. Our goal is to make it as convenient as possible.
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Proposal
Dotte Agency is currently transforming a Freightliner Business Class M2 106 truck into the Mobile Market. This allows for rolling doors to slide up on the sides, and two bays to be fully refrigerated to carry fresh produce. Fresh fruits and vegetables will be prominently displayed, with additional storage on the driver-side.
Folding tables and signage will be kept on the Mobile Market storage side.
Refrigerated dairy, meats, cheeses, and juices.
Two full-time staff NourishKC employees will assist customers in on the Mobile Market.
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Proposal
The KCK Mobile Market addresses the difficulty in accessing grocery stores for residents that are limited to bus transit or walking. A bus ride to Save-A-Lot would take 34 minutes each way from Parkwood
12,800 Residents live within 1 mile of Parkwood Park
I-635
I-70
A bus ride to Sunfresh would take 38-59 minutes each way from Parkwood
It would take 56 minutes to walk to Rio Bravo A bus ride to Rio Bravo would take 39 minutes each way.
The diagram above illustrates the distance from Parkwood Park in Northeast Kansas City, Kansas, to the three nearest WIC grocery stores. With 31% of Wyandotte County households of 3 or more people owning 1 vehicle or less per household, we can estimate that the diagram above represents the experience of thousands of residents living throughout KCK. The diagram only takes into account the time and distance for getting to each store. For each trip back, a resident would also be carrying groceries, which affects what they purchase at the grocery store.
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Proposal
Final locations and hours will be determined by the Mobile Market Community Council, and as allowed by the Wyandotte County mobile market ordinance. * Locations with an asterisk were specifically requested during the pop-up engagement event.
Banneker Elem.* Northwest Middle*
Parkwood Park*
Catholic Charities
Bus Stop at 7th and Minnesota*
M.E. Pearson Elem. Turner Elementary*
Cross-Lines
Wyandotte Towers*
Cyrus K Holliday* KU Medical Center
The diagram above illustrates the distance between existing grocery stores in Kansas City, Kansas, with a half-mile radius surrounding each. That radius indicates a standard walking distance. Our approach is to set up the KCK Mobile Market throughout each week at community locations that have limited walking access to grocery stores. With a proposed zoning ordinance change, the Mobile Market would be allowed to set up near neighborhoods, schools, and parks. The diagram above suggests just a few of the locations that have been proposed by residents.
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Sustainability
With NourishKC as the backbone fiscal agent, the KCK Mobile Market has already attracted almost $500,000 in grants and in-kind donations. Grant Funding Received: Health Care Foundation Greater KC Humana Menorah Heritage Foundation Shawnee Mission Health Partners in Primary Care United Methodist Women COR Community Health Council
In-Kind Contributions Received: Community Health Council K-State Extension Planning & Advisory Committees NourishKC Finance & Operations KU Students Miscellaneous (Design, Planning, etc.)
Annual Projected Expenses: Driver 1 (Inventory) Driver 2 (Bilingual Cashier) Gas Vehicle Maintenance Marketing Vehicle Liability & Insurance Nutrition Education Materials
$155,000 $75,000 $25,000 $36,000 $7,500 $2,000 $2,500 $7,000
$336,100 $31,200 $4,800 $29,700 $65,000 $5,500 $199,900
$86,900 $31,200 $31,200 $3,000 $2,000 $15,000 $2,500 $2,000
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Sustainability
Fiscal Timeline: Economic Sustainability
$155,000
Initial Sponsorship and Support
~$90,000 /yr
Yearly Operating
~$40,000/yr
Food / Health Network
~$50,000/yr
Expected Revenue
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025...
The KCK Mobile Market business plan has evolved over the course of its development. Initial concepts focused upon the partnership between a non-profit operator and a WIC-approved grocery wholesaler. As we’ve navigated the challenges of that agreement, it has become clear that our non-profit operator (NourishKC) can best serve the KCK Mobile Market by becoming a WIC-approved vendor and purchasing direct from our wholesale distribution partner (El Torito). This model anticipates that over the next 3-4 years, revenues will grow as the community becomes acclimated to the KCK Mobile Market locations and available products. Our initial sponsorship and support will keep the KCK Mobile Market solvent during this time. We anticipate that should the projected revenues alone not keep the KCK Mobile Market economically sustainable, the network of health partners benefiting by having their patients served by the KCK Mobile Market will allow us to cover the gap to create a sustainable food access option.
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Progress Updates
In early 2017, Our planning team met with many residents throughout Northeast KCK to work out important details, and secured additional funding.
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Progress Updates
A beer truck was purchased in May 2017 with initial seed funding from Humana and the CHC. Menorah Heritage Funds have allowed Dotte Agency to renovate it into the KCK Mobile Market.
ood
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Progress Updates
Our planning team has also engaged with the Unified Government to update a zoning ordinance to better allow for mobile market operations. Nearest grocery store: 6 minute drive, 23 minute bus ride, and 38 minute walk.
4 New Bethel Church
1 2
Sumner Academy
Eighth St. Baptist Industrial
3 5 St. Peter CME Church
Commercial
Multi-Family
Single Family
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Progress Updates
KU Architecture students prototyped initial ideas for how to build out the Mobile Market.
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Progress Updates
Nils Gore has been taking the student-designed prototypes and fabricating the finished buildout.
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Progress Updates
This includes custom-built refrigerated doors, cabinets, and shelves for cold temperatures.
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Progress Updates
Stories have been collected that document the real challenges faced by Wyandotte County residents without easy access to fresh food.
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Progress Updates
These stories have been shared as videos with other residents and policy-makers alike. You can view them here: http://bit.do/kckmobilemarket
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Progress Updates
The most exciting update has been that we’re about to launch a Mobile Market Community Council to govern the KCK Mobile Market. KCK Mobile Market Community Council Interest Form
We want residents to help run the KCK Mobile Market Come join the effort! A collaborative team of community partners is rolling out the KCK Mobile Market in Kansas City, Kansas this spring. The KCK Mobile Market aims to improve food access for Kansas City, Kansas residents by bringing fresh, affordable food directly to neighborhoods. We believe by working together our local community can create better options for accessing food. That’s why we are forming a community-governance council (The KCK Mobile Market Community Council). The Community Council will meet regularly throughout the year to guide the future of the KCK Mobile Market. This will include making decisions on branding, schedules, routes, locations, available food items, and long-term sustainability. NourishKC - a local food access non-profit - will own and staff the market, while a locally-owned grocery store will stock the vehicle with fresh food options and basic essentials at an affordable price. The KCK Mobile Market will make daily stops throughout KCK, and items will be available to be purchased with cash, credit card, WIC, and SNAP/EBT. Help us gauge your interest in getting involved by filling out and signing the form on the back of this sheet and we’ll contact you. Your information is confidential and will not be shared. Once complete, please return this form before March 1st, 2018 by mail or during regular business hours to the Community Health Council of Wyandotte County, 803 Armstrong Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, 66101. You can also submit the form electronically on the KCK Mobile Market Facebook page or directly at bit.ly/KCKmobilemarket If you have any questions, feel free to ask us on Facebook (@thekckmobilemarket), email us at kckmobilemarket@gmail.com, or call us at (913) 371-9298 (ext. 1) or at (816) 800-0882. We look forward to meeting you! Please complete the interest form on the back >>>
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The KCK Mobile Market will soon be governed by the Mobile Market Community Council (MMCC). This group is made up of residents and members of the KCK Mobile Market planning team that are volunteering their time to make decisions together about the KCK Mobile Market as it launches. This group will collectively determine many of the decisions that have yet to be decided upon, and will continue to evaluate the success and outcomes of the KCK Mobile Market. The planning team is excited to see the MMCC take ownership of the KCK Mobile Market, and will continue to be available as needed to serve as a resource to empower the MMCC to improve food access in Wyandotte County. NourishKC will continue on as the backbone fiscal agent — including operations and adminstrative services — and through this partnership they will continue to reduce hunger and improve access to food in Kansas City. If you are interested in supporting the KCK Mobile Market, would like to connect as a partner, or are just interested in where we’ll be located when we’re open, please contact NourishKC, or find the KCK Mobile Market on its Facebook page.
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Summer ‘18 Booklet Design matt.kleinmann@gmail.com
Printing Community Health Council
References 1: American Community Survey (2014) 2: USDA, National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (2015) 3: USDA, Foot Atlas 4: Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap (2014) 5: Dubowitz, T. et al., 2015. A Natural Experiment Opportunity in Two Low-Income Urban Food Desert Communities Research Design, Community Engagement Methods, and Baseline Results. Health Education & Behavior, 42(1 suppl), p.87S–96S