About 10 years ago, I was visiting my girlfriend who had moved down near
Durham, NC. She volunteered regularly with the Durham Food Co-op, and
one day I went with her. What they would do is fill up the back of a
pickup truck with fresh local produce and drive it around slowly through
the poorer neighborhoods every Saturday morning, selling it at cost to
the people along the way. And I was impressed that there were tons of
people out there, lining the streets, waiting for the produce truck to
come by. It was a service to both the local farmers and the local
residents, because it was all-volunteer with practically no overhead.
I'll never forget how many people I met doing that, who I never would
have met otherwise. It was like an Ithaca Farmers Market booth on wheels.
Sadly, the Durham Food Co-op closed down last year. I admired how they
were deliberately frugal in everything they did, because their stated
mission was to serve their working-class community. It was earthy and
refreshingly NOT upscale.
I would think someone could do the same thing, drive a truck full of
produce through Ithaca neighborhoods. Outlying areas might benefit more
from the food being brought to them, but on the other hand, this idea
probably works better in dense neighborhoods.
-Ben
James Hogg wrote:
Hello,
When I lived in Japan there were small fruit/vegetable trucks that
parked in residential areas. Residents would come to the truck to buy
fresh produce and talk with one another. Even though these are less
common today, I have thought about this concept and wondering when
someone would try it in the States. Or should I be the one.
I just ran across this article about a converted school bus that fits
the ticket.
http://www.tonic.com/article/mark-lilly-farm-to-family-school-bus-change-how-america-eats/
Here is a Japanese produce truck.
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visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/
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