City Share will feature Steven Casey, the board president of Fresh Moves, in Chicago, on Feb. 22 at noon.
Fresh Moves delivers affordable, healthy food to communities facing significant health issues through a mobile produce market.
After reading a 2006 report that mapped food deserts in Chicago, a group of self- proclaimed food activists banded together to form the Food Desert Action initiative to address the issue of access to fresh fruits and vegetables in Chicago's areas of greatest need.
Under Mr. Casey's leadership, the Food Desert Action launched a grocery on wheels as an innovative way to address the immediate needs in the urban neighborhoods most impacted by the healthy food access crisis. This collaborative effort of a few key partners transformed a donated bus into a grocery store.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Mr. Casey said, "The concept is simple. If residents in poor neighborhoods can't make it to stores that carry healthy food, the Fresh Moves bus will bring produce to them."
The issue of food access is top of mind in Chattanooga today. "High levels of poverty and obesity are prevalent in many of our neighborhoods that have little or no access to healthy food," said Jeff Pfitzer,executive director of Gaining Ground, Chattanooga's local food initiative. "With even more grocery store slated to close in 2012, the number of residents living in food deserts in Chattanooga will soon increase. Through Steven Casey's experience, we have an opportunity to learn how mobile food markets can be an effective strategy to meet these growing needs."
City Share is sponsored by CNE, Gaining Ground, and Glass House Collective. City Share is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP to this event: info@glasshousecollective.org.