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Evansville Food Oasis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to alleviate food insecurity in Evansville, Indiana. Through our partnership with the Junior League of Evansville, Evansville Food Oasis helps to operate the Neighborhood Food Market, a mobile market that provides affordable, nutritious food to underserved residents who have reduced access to groceries. The Neighborhood Food Market also distributes free, packed lunches to community members via a mobile food pantry. By bringing healthy, affordable food directly into neighborhoods, Evansville Food Oasis aims to help curb hunger and improve health outcomes in Evansville.

Neighborhood Food Market runs from 12pm to 2pm unless otherwise noted

3/2/24 Grandin Point

3/9/24 Fulton Square Apartments

3/16/24 Glenwood

3/23/24 Westside Community Center

3/30/24 Caze Elementary Area

4/6/24 Towers Downtown

4/13/24 Evans Middle School Area

4/20/24 Westside Community Center

4/27/24 Washington Middle School Area

5/4/24 Westside Community Center

5/11/24 Central High School Area

5/18/24 Howell Park Area

5/25/24 Pleasant Ridge Estates

6/15/24 Westside Community Center

The Neighborhood Food Market was purchased in 2022 after several years of research and development by the Junior League of Evansville on ways to help combat food insecurity in our community. We have partnered with Evansville Oasis after a group of Signature students won the Change Maker project through the University of Evansville. They too saw a problem with the ability to obtain fresh product and meat in many of our neighborhoods.

• What is food security? Food security exists when all people at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life – World Food Summit Definition.
• Four main dimensions of food security – AVAILABILITY, ACCESS, UTILIZATION, STABILITY.

If you or your group would like to volunteer at the Neighborhood Food Market click here.

If you would like to suggest a Neighborhood for the Food Market to visit click here.

In food-insecure households, people often must make choices between getting only what they can afford – which is usually cheap and/or nutrient-deficient- or skipping meals. Living in an extended state of food insecurity can have negative impacts on physical, emotional, social, and mental well-being. WFIE reported that 40% of Vanderburgh County is considered to be in a food desert, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA says a person is in a food desert if they live more than one mile walk from a grocery store that offers fresh produce.

The Junior League of Evansville along with Evansville Oasis hope to alleviate this food access problem by coming to these food desert neighborhoods each Saturday and on select dates on a rotating basis. We will be providing free lunches for children as well as selling fresh product, meat, eggs, cheese, and non-perishable food items, at a discounted or reduced rate.

The Neighborhood Food Market will be accepting cash, credit cards, and EBT cards.

Future plans are for the Neighborhood Food Market to provide educational moments to children through games, stories, and activities.

We would like to than our sponsors, Ascension St. Vincent, Legence Bank, Covid-19 Response Fund of the Greater Evansville Region, and Fifth Third Bank for their help to make this project possible.

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact the Junior League of Evansville at office@juniorleagueofevansville.org

Click here to donate to the Neighborhood Food Market.

If you or your group would like to volunteer at the Neighborhood Food Market click here.

If you would like to suggest a Neighborhood for the Food Market to visit click here.