COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus non-profit Local Matters hopes to fill a huge need for those living in food deserts by making food more accessible and cost friendly.
- Makes food accessible, while helping people purchase meals for $10 or less for a family of four
- Veggie Van appears in food deserts where grocery stores have disappeared
- Teaches adults and children how to make healthy food choices
Just before school let out, Monique McCoy opened up the Local Matters Veggie Van and started unloading it.
She's set up shop at Linden Early Childhood Education Center, where her team sold fresh fruits, vegetables and spices.
McCoy says she started the mobile market back in July, after a big box grocery store closed. It left residents in the Linden community with nowhere close to shop for groceries, unless they walked or caught one or two buses to get there.
Preparing for the after-school crowd, McCoy threw on an apron and got to chopping red and yellow peppers.
It's food that came from local gardens.
She decided to whip up a quick vegetarian pasta dish to show shoppers how to make a sizzling meal on $10 or less using market items.
"Our goal is to be able to allow them to have access. I think everyone should have access," McCoy said.
As parents and teachers came in, they filled their shopping bags with lemons and healthy grains for only a fraction of what it might cost at a regular grocery store.
McCoy says that means people can get $80 worth of food for $40 instead.
One of the ideas behind the mobile market is to make food more affordable.
But it's also to teach people how to make healthy food choices.
That's why she takes the time to do cooking demonstrations wherever the Veggie Van goes. It's there where she's able to show families how to make dishes they hadn't thought of before.
In the Linden community, it's also something she teaches kids at the pre-k school, while giving them a taste test through their Local Matters food program.
She says if kids and adults like what they're eating and see the value in it, they're more likely to make healthier choices when shopping.
While McCoy pops up with the market in a number of other food deserts, she says it's become a way to connect people in the community together through conversation while they shop.
It's something she hopes to do in each food desert, one stop at a time.
To find out where the Local Matters Veggie Van stops each week, you can log onto their website and check out their schedule.
The mobile market is open to the public and accepts most forms of payment, including EBT cards.