An unseasonably warm day in December of 2015 brought an unusual gift to the JeffVanderLou neighborhood: a beautifully renovated Metro bus, laden with fresh produce for area residents. The St. Louis Metro Market began its trial run of operations, bringing the variety and nutritional diversity of a farmers market to underserved communities.
St. Louis Metro Market plans on selling food very cheaply to food deserts – areas without access to fresh fruit and vegetables – but as part of the trial run, co-founder Jeremy Goss gave away the produce for free, introducing residents to vegetables that might be new to them. The free veggies were accompanied by a recipe for sweet potato chili and the spices needed to make it, providing residents with the tools and resources to make a nutritious meal for their families.
A $75,00 grant from the Incarnate Word Foundation, an orginization that fights economic and institutionalized disenfranchisement, helped to get St. Louis Metro Market rolling.
With no shortage of food deserts in our community, this bus is driving one solution to the serious food insecurity problem that so many St. Louisans face.
