Homefull, a Dayton nonprofit that fights food insecurity, created the Mobile Grocery Store last year; the country’s first grocery store in a custom-built Freightliner, created to make “the ultimate movable shopping experience.”
Every Tuesday from 1 – 4 p.m., the full-service grocery store on wheels will be at Sinclair Community College in the parking lot next to building 14 off 4th St.
Tyler Thompson, the Mobile Grocery Manager with Homefull, travels with the store to all the stops.
It’s open to students, staff, and faculty, as well as the local community.
“We welcome everyone to shop with us,” said Thompson.
Shop for basic groceries after school or pick up something to eat on a lunch break.
The custom freighter is 42 feet long and both sides expand to allow more space for food racks. The truck is handicap accessible. Social distancing and mask-wearing practices are also in place.
“We offer almost 500 items, just the basics,” said Thompson. “We have fresh vegetables, frozen foods, meat, dairy, and ready-to-eat items.”
Homefull Mobile Grocery serves Dayton and Montgomery County with fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, cheese, household staple items, and cleaning products. It is a one-stop shopping experience on wheels.
“We mostly have off brands to keep costs low, so the customer can get more food for their money.” Thompson said, “We only carry a couple of flavors, so variety is limited.”
The Mobile Grocery specifically targets food deserts–neighborhoods that lack fresh, healthy food choices. The mobile grocery store travels up to five days a week, making two to three stops a day, in various neighborhoods that have low food access, such as senior living, low income, and public housing communities.
Indicators of Food Deserts are low-income households, limited access to supermarkets, vehicle availability, and group quarters populations.
The CEO of Homefull, Tina Patterson, believes that everyone should have access to healthy foods. People in the city should be able to buy nutritious food in their own neighborhoods. Instead, they have fast-food restaurants or convenience stores that offer low nutrition, high-calorie food.
The mobile grocery accepts cash, debit/credit cards, SNAP-EBT, Produce Perks, and other incentive programs. Also offered is a free shuttle service to each location on specific days. Check the schedule to plan a pick-up.
A mobile clinic and other community resources travel with the mobile grocery to help address health-related issues, as well as increase social well-being and neighborhood cohesiveness, free of charge. Homefull serves over 600 people a day in the local community.
For more information about Homefull Mobile Grocery follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. and YouTube, and to help volunteer, fill out this application.
Diane Sikora
Reporter