South Side farms sell produce to thousands using CTA buses as mobile markets

ΣΧΟΛΙΟ ΙΣΤΟΛΟΓΙΟΥ : Κάλεσμα σε δράση των αγροτών με χιλιάδες λεωφορεία τα οποία έχουν μετατραπεί σε μικρά market τροφίμων.Τέρμα οι μεσάζοντες με σωστή οργάνωση μικροπαραγωγών. Ένα άλλο σημαντικό το οποίο κάνουν οι μικροί παραγωγοί είναι περιοδείες με ΛΑΙΚΕΣ ΑΓΟΡΕΣ ΜΟΝΟ ΑΠΟ ΜΙΚΡΟΠΑΡΑΓΩΓΟΥΣ - Ενοικιάζουν όλοι μαζί φορτηγά και ψυγεία και κάνουν περιοδείες σε όλη την Αμερική και μάλιστα εκεί μιλάμε για τεράστιες αποστάσεις όχι 300 - 700 χιλιόμετρα και 1000 που είναι όλη σχεδόν η Ελλάδα. Μερικοί παραγωγοί αγοράζουν παλαιά λεωφορεία και τα διαμορφώνουν σε καταστήματα με ράφια. Νικόλα σου ρίχνω ιδέα.!!

 The Fresh Moves Mobile Market, created out of retired CTA buses, recently hit a milestone of serving fresh produce to more than 10,000 people on the South Side. The market, run by Urban Growers Collective, is just one way the nonprofit works to help residents.

UGC manages seven farms on 11 acres of land throughout the South Side. The mobile markets gives it another way to distribute produce and bring important programs to Chicago neighborhoods. UGC partners with community sites, health centers, schools, senior living centers, and farmers markets making scheduled stops each week. 

Currently, three buses are retrofitted with bins for produce and grocery items. Only one operates seven days a week, but UGC hopes to get all three up and running after licenses get sorted out.

“We’re not just providing fresh produce,” says Laurell Sims, co-founder and chief executive officer of financials at UGC. “We’re creating an entire community system.”

What is special about Fresh Moves Mobile Markets is that most of its produce is grown on the South Side and farmed by locals. However, the goal is to connect with residents, and that sometimes means carrying familiar items, Sims says, which is why the markets include non-native products such as bananas and oranges. In addition, the Fresh Moves program helps residents figure out how to put together a meal, features cooking demos, and provides heart-healthy and sugar-free recipes. 

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