StarkFresh's mobile market to continue this winter

CANTON – Deborah Bigrigg held the hand of her 3-year-old godson as he carried a grocery bag of kettle chips, peanut butter and other items down the "veggie mobile" bus steps.

"We look for fresh fruits or vegetables," she said.

She was one of six to 10 customers, who primarily live at the Wellness Village at Midway residential complex or nearby, to visit the StarkFresh Mobile Grocery Market on Thursday. The market usually would have ended by now, but it switched to a limited schedule this month and will continue through winter for the first time.

Bigrigg said she's glad to still have the option to walk to the market because a lot of residents there don't drive or, like her, prefer not to in winter weather.

The mobile market now is contained in a retrofitted transit bus instead of set on outdoor tables. StarkFresh purchased the vehicle this spring with financial help from the United Way of Greater Stark County and a Community Development Block Grant from Canton.

"Overall, I think it's a huge improvement," said Azella Markgraf, mobile grocery market coordinator.

The climate-controlled bus allows for a greater selection of food and a year-round market, she said. Customers can shop inside for groceries or select products from a list that a personal shopper will retrieve if they're unable to board the bus.

People who receive food assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are given a 50% discount on fresh fruits and vegetables. Markgraf said the nutrition incentive, Produce Perks, is provided in partnership with the Peninsula-based nonprofit Countryside.

Since 2014, StarkFresh's mobile market has traveled across the county to fight food insecurity during the spring and summer. Markgraf said most customers are older and sometimes have mobility challenges or difficulty visiting grocers in winter weather.

"So, it's important to continue to provide healthy food to people in the winter," she said.

Helen Brunner, who stopped at the bus Thursday, said it was the first market she made it to this year. She's been a past StarkFresh customer and appreciated the extended market schedule and new bus.

"It's nice in there," she said.

Stephanie Huberty, who uses a wheelchair, said it might be more difficult for her to visit the market in winter but still easier than taking Stark Area Regional Transit Authority's Proline service to a grocery store.

"It's convenient," she said.

The original plan was to continue the mobile market last winter, but COVID-19 presented challenges related to funding and operating inside a small space. The new schedule for November and December includes four stops on Tuesdays and Thursdays at locations in Canton, Massillon and Alliance.

Markgraf said the market will continue in January and February and should return to full operation — with 16 to 17 stops — in March. Times and dates for the coming winter months will be based on performance in November and December.

"We tend to figure out our schedules on a monthly or bimonthly basis, depending on the season," she said.

The greatest difference with the market this time of year is the source of produce. It comes from a food distributor instead of local growers and StarkFresh's urban farms, Markgraf said.

"There are differences with sourcing, but it's still the same high-quality produce and other items that individuals appreciate," she said.

StarkFresh's mobile market will continue to provide other local products — such as Paint Valley Farms' milk and Walnut Creek's canned goods, meats and cheeses. If funds allow, the nonprofit plans to add a wheelchair ramp and better lighting to make the bus more accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Markgraf said those improvements are part of StarkFresh's $300,000 capital campaign.

"We've had some incredible growth in the past few years, and that has put a lot of demand on our physical space here at the Food Justice Campus, as well as our Mobile Grocery Market," she said.

More information about the campaign can be found at https://www.starkfresh.org/growing-food-justice-campaign.

Mobile market schedule

Tuesdays

• 11 to 11:45 a.m. at Riverview Towers, 223 Second St. SW in Massillon

• 11:55 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. at Quarry Ridge Apartments, 1280 Cherry Road NW in Massillon

• 1 to 1:45 p.m. at Lincoln Apartments, 815 Lincoln Way E in Massillon

• 2:15 to 2:55 p.m. at Vassar Village Apartments, 1732 Market Ave. N in Canton

Thursdays

• 11 to 11:45 a.m. at Alliance Towers, 350 S Arch Ave. in Alliance

• 11:55 a.m. to 12:35 p.m. at Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, 200 E. State St. in Alliance

• 1:15 to 1:55 p.m. at Wellness Village at Midway, 3055 Mahoning Road NE in Canton

• 2:15 to 3 p.m. at Mayfield Manor Apartments, 3844 11th St. SW in Canton

The market will observe holidays on Nov. 23 and 25.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: StarkFresh's mobile market to continue this winter in Stark County