Lexington rolls out new mobile ‘food oasis’ to connect residents with fresh groceries
Thanks to a new partnership with Kroger and God’s Pantry Food Bank, Lexington is launching a new mobile food program that will serve various city neighborhoods that have no grocery stores or access to fresh foods.
“We are really pumped up about it,” said Mayor Linda Gorton at a press conference Tuesday announcing the new mobile food program. “It’s a rolling food oasis that serve Lexington neighborhoods without grocery stores nearby.”
Tackling “food deserts” in Lexington was one of the recommendations of Gorton’s Commission on Racial Justice and Equality, which issued more than 50 recommendations to address racial inequality in October 2020.
Many Black Lexington residents live in neighborhoods that aren’t close to grocery stores. That means they can’t always get to grocery stores to get fresh food, Gorton said.
It’s taken more than two years to get the program started, she said.
Jessica Sharp, a Kroger executive, called the new mobile food program a “single-aisle grocery store on wheels.” Sharp said Kroger has a commitment to reducing hunger.
Kroger launched a mobile market in Louisville four years ago in partnership with a local food pantry there. The program has gone a long way to address food insecurity in Kentucky’s largest city.
“We are thrilled to launch and we look forward to this partnership,” Sharp said.
Michael Halligan, chief executive officer of God’s Pantry Food Bank, said transportation is a key barrier to getting nutritious food. Many neighborhoods don’t have grocery stores, called food deserts. Halligan said a mobile market will help those that struggle with both.
“There will be more than 20 stops,” Halligan said. “We have capacity for more.”
Gorton, a registered nurse, said the city’s mobile food effort is also about public health. Good nutrition is good health but for too many, it’s literally out of reach.
How it will work
The program will start in July. It will begin in four Lexington neighborhoods during the three-month pilot program.
From July to September, the city will be monitoring routes and times to determine what tweaks need to be made, Gorton said.
The mobile market is a 60-foot trailer. It houses a single aisle stocked with a healthy selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, dairy and nondairy options, chicken, beef, pork, deli meat, cheese, yogurt and a limited amount of household products, such as toilet tissue, detergents and other cleaning products.
The market will be cashless. Debit and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) cards will be accepted.
Gorton said anyone can shop at the market. It is not an income-based service.
The city will announce the stops and hours later in June before the mobile market starts in July.
