Mobile grocery market launches summer program into Calgary's 'food deserts'

For a few lucky Calgary communities, going grocery shopping just got turned on its head.

Now, the groceries are coming to the community, rather than the other way around.

On Tuesday, the Leftovers Foundation launched a mobile food truck service that sells at below market rate pricesgroceries to neighbourhoods the organization has identified as "food deserts."

What's a food desert, you ask?

"A food desert in my opinion isa place where people live where they don't have access to nutritious and affordable food," said Lourdes Juan, the founder and executive director of the Calgary non-profit organization.

"When you talk about food deserts, you're looking at places where you perhaps have to drive, to get to your grocery store, which can perhapsbe a challenge to some people," Juan said. "Places where you have a seniors population, where there's a mobility issue we're just trying to make food access really easy for Calgarians."

Tuesday launch

On Tuesday afternoon, that meant a variety of just-over-wholesale priced goods for sale in the northeast Calgary community of Pineridge. Later in the evening, the group moved on to Bridgeland.

The Community Mobile Market will also be making stops in downtown Calgary and Spruce Cliff.

Juan said her organization's goal was pretty straightforward.

"We're really hoping to bring food at budget-friendly prices into communities that don't have that option," Juan said.

Juan worked locally with the social work component of the City of Calgary,which provided a grant to outfit the truck and pay a project coordinator,to zero in on communities where access to inexpensive, fresh food is a challenge for those with mobility issues.

"They've been our 'in' with communities," she said. "They have surveyed residents, so that we know what types of food residents are looking for.

"We want to make sure residents get to choose their food, get to choose how much they buy and that it's culturally appropriate," Juan said.

Community feedback wanted

The menu at Tuesday's initialmobile market included potatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, black beans, carrots, bread, tomatoes, almond milkand fresh eggs, courtesy of Egg Farmers of Alberta.

Juan wants feedback from the community.

"We want this to be an iterative process where the community is telling us what they need. And [then] we can talk to our vendors andsource out those items," she said.

Volunteer-driven organization

At the moment, the organization is volunteer-run about 300 in total in both Calgary and Edmonton and Juan is looking for more.

"We're always looking for people power. It really takes a village to run something like this, so we're looking for more volunteers to come out andhelp run this thing," she said.

She is already looking to expand the distribution area.

"I'd like to see it in other communities," she said. "We've pitched this idea to the Stoney Nakoda First Nation and they've given us permits to operate out there so we are currently looking for volunteers, more funding to go out there, to buy fresh produce and continue the project."

Whether it's the legions of volunteers, area residents, or even various vendors, Juan says that food will always be the glue that brings a community together food desert or not.

"Food is a community connector. It is something the community will always need. It's important we are servicing one of our basic human rights into the community," she said.

For more information about the Community Mobile Market, go to yyc.rescuefood.ca.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS| Kenney accused of 'trying to demonize' environmental groups while ignoring foreign-owned business influence
• MORE CALGARY NEWS| Calgary Freemasons say property taxes may force sale of historic temple