SUMMIT COUNTY — Food deserts have at times plagued communities around Akron and throughout Summit County, and getting to the grocery store for some residents, like Carrie Burch, can be hard.
“Gas is going up and its difficult for a lot of people,” said Burch.
According to Summit County public health, about 30,000 residents live in food deserts, which are areas with high poverty that also lack access to large grocery stores. Most of those areas are in Akron and southern Barberton.
“Health is nutrition, and so when you don't have good health outcomes, it makes it harder to hold down a job, it makes it harder to have stable housing or anything,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik.
The Summit Fresh mobile market came up with an idea to help bridge the gap for those who have the money to purchase groceries but lack the transportation to get there.
“It’s like a grocery store on wheels where we go into areas designated as food deserts and provide a grocery store experience. We’re providing fresh, healthy and affordable groceries,” said Executive Director of Summit Fresh Mobile Market, Ebony Yeboah-Amankwah.
The grocery store on wheels made its first stop on Saturday at Reach Opportunity Center in the Summit Lake neighborhood.
“I was able to get some orange juice, bananas, cantaloupe and bagels,” said Burch.
The different options shocked Burch.
“I was surprised because I was thinking it was going to be just fresh fruit and vegetable,” said Burch.
Besides fresh fruit and vegetables, people can buy ice cream, bread, cereal, produce and a variety of meals.
“This is designed to go into those neighborhoods, those pockets of areas that don't have those grocery stores to make sure that they have that fresh food. And we also provide coupons for like the first 25 customers to help offset that high grocery cost,” said Yeboah-Amankwah.
Summit Fresh Mobile Market will set up in various food desert communities in Summit County every Monday and Saturday with the hopes of adding more days in the future.
“We're operating on Monday and Saturday from 11a.m.-1 p.m., and our next growth opportunity is to expand the number of days that we're offering. So, ideally four to five days a week as opposed to our current startup position of two days a week,” Yeboah-Amankwah said.
Yeboah-Amankwah says they will be using the information they gather from their stops in the community to determine a day and time for their next location.
You can go to the site for more information on the mobile grocery store.
