Mobile grocery store serving inner-city communities launches in Calgary
Posted Oct 7, 2019 7:44 pm.
Last Updated Oct 8, 2019 5:39 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — On the outside, it might look like the average city bus, but it’s is no longer serving the transit system. Instead, it is serving up fresh food to local communities as a mobile grocery store.
The bus has been retrofitted, trading seats for shelving and busy commuters for hungry patrons.
“Anyone can come that’s part of our food dignified model and we think that it’s important that the community connects over food,” said Lourdes Juan with Leftovers and Community Mobile Market.
The Fresh Routes mobile grocery store is the first of its kind in Calgary. By bringing fresh produce directly to communities, it ensures residents are able to access affordable and nutritious food.
“I come from an urban planning background and I always say we’ve built our cities where our affordable produce is on the outskirts of the city or in the suburban areas and there’s not a lot for inner-city folk,” she said.
Known as “food deserts” these urban communities have little to no access to grocery stores that stock a variety of foodstuff, especially food that meets dietary needs at an affordable cost.
“Their closest food is either processed food, fast food or non-perishable,” Juan pointed out. A partnership with H&W Produce allows them to sell the food at a discounted rate.
The mobile grocery store is taking a grass routes approach to ensure everyone gets their greens by rolling into carefully selected communities.
“When you walk in, there is an aisle on your left and right and it’s all fresh produce,” she noted. “We’ll be able to do eggs and proteins things that are really expensive for communities and we will be selling them at an affordable rate.”
Fresh Routes was born out of necessity and went through a four-month pilot project with the City of Calgary and the Leftovers Foundation.
The bus will operate most of the year on its own route called the Nutrient line and will serve communities in the city including Bridgeland, Sunalta and Bowness.
Visit the website for details on the bus’s route.
