Forget the grocery store. Fresh FAVs is a program that brings fruits and vegetables right to campus. Open to students, faculty, staff, and retirees, Fresh FAVs offers low-cost, high-quality produce once a week for eight weeks.
In its fourth year, Fresh FAVs aims to increase the availability and consumption of fresh produce for the campus community. The program is similar to a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program* in that produce is bundled together for convenient pickup each week. Since Fresh FAVs buys produce in bulk, the cost is very low for participants. To date, 465 students, employees, and retirees have participated in Fresh FAVs. Seventy-six percent of spring 2016 participants increased their fruit and vegetable intake as a result of the program.
What do you get?
Participants pay a one-time fee at the time of registration and pick up produce on campus once a week for eight weeks. Typically, participants receive a 50/50 split of fruits and vegetables and receive seven to eight different types of produce. Recipes are also sent each week that correspond with items received that week to help participants generate ideas of how to use the items they receive.
There are three size options:
- Small bag for approximately one to two people—$55 total + tax = $55.55 total (breaks down to about $6.94 each week)
- Medium bag for approximately three to four people—$100 + tax = $101 total (breaks down to only $12.63 each week)
- Large bag for approximately five to six people—$150 + tax= $151.50 total (breaks down to only $18.94 a week)
Bags will be available for pickup every Friday during the program at the John Green Food Service Building. Pickup times are on Fridays between noon–1:30 p.m. and between 3:30–5 p.m.
Spring 2017 Fresh FAVs details
The spring program starts Friday, February 3, and ends Friday, April 7. Please note there is no pick up the week of Spring Break. Online registration is now open and the deadline is Wednesday, January 25, at 5 p.m. We apologize; late registrations cannot be accepted. Click here to register.
For more information, visit the Health Promotion and Wellness website. Email Wellness@IllinoisState.edu or call (309) 438-WELL (9355) if you have any questions.
Fresh FAVs is a collaboration among the dietetic interns of Family and Consumer Sciences, Campus Dining, and Health Promotion and Wellness.
What previous participants have to say about Fresh FAVs:
- “This expanded the food of vegetables I typically eat and forced me to find new ways to prepare them.”
- “Bigger variety than I expected, was always fun to see what we got each week!”
- “It was so convenient to have a bag of fresh fruits and veggies waiting for me every week. I know it sounds crazy, but it takes a long time to choose produce at the grocery store and without recipes in mind, I’m a lot less likely to purchase produce. When I had the produce in my kitchen, I was challenged to make sure it was eaten before it spoiled!”
- “Loved the program in general. It really helped our household into eating more fruits and vegetables.”
- “This program was absolutely wonderful. It really cut down on my grocery shopping. Some of it was produce that I would normally buy and some of it I had never tried before. I think the cost was really good also.”
- “I enjoyed trying new vegetables and fruits. I feel I ate healthier during this time.”
* Please note that produce available through Fresh FAVs is high quality, but not organic or local. If you wish to purchase organic and local produce, please check out the following organizations or find a CSA or farmers’ market near you.
