Local organization brings in speaker to address area food deserts
City Share hosts Steven Casey, founder of Fresh Moves
On Feb. 22, City Share will feature Steven Casey, the board president of Fresh Moves (a mobile grocery store initiative based in Chicago) to address the issue of the food deserts in Chattanooga, which are expanding now that seven area Food Lions have closed.
The issue of food access is a major problem facing Chattanooga today, Jeff Pfitzer, executive director of Chattanooga's local food initiative Gaining Ground, said.
"High levels of poverty and obesity are prevalent is many of our neighborhoods that have little or no access to healthy food," Pfitzer said. "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."
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 Casey's leadership, the Food Desert Action launched a grocery store 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.
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."
Casey will tell his story at noon and will share his innovative approach to food deserts. 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 at info@glasshousecollective.org.
