Mobile farmers markets supply fresh goods to communities with limited access

HERRIN, Ill. — Nonprofit group Food Works launched mobile farmers markets June 6 to supply fresh, local food to communities with limited access across southern Illinois. The goods include vegetables, fruits, breads and baked goods, and grass-fed meats.

Every Thursday from June to October, the mobile markets will run from 3 to 5 p.m. at Carterville Fresh Farm, and from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Marion Carnegie Library. The company added two mobile markets running every Friday for the same month span — 10 a.m. to noon at Herrin House of Hope, and from 1 to 3 p.m. at Boyton Street Community Center in Marion. 

According to Food Works, the 16-foot box trucks housing the mobile markets are “equipped with a refrigeration system to safely transport and store food at proper temperatures, as well as a hand washing sink, storage for dried goods, and lighting.” The sides of the trucks open up to create a shopping display for customers.

The Food Works mobile markets collaborate with the Little Egypt Alliance of Farmers (LEAF) Food Hub, a cooperative of more than 25 farms and producers in southern Illinois, and other regional producers to ensure the goods are only locally sourced.

Tamara Pirmann, one of the founding members of the LEAF Food Hub, said the cooperative is “always” pursuing new platforms to distribute local goods to the community. For Pirmann, this meant pairing with Food Works, which funds and organizes the mobile markets. She explained LEAF Food Hub supplies the “majority” of the products.

“The mission of LEAF Food Hub is to bring sustainably grown food to the community and help support small farms,” Pirmann said. “The beauty of this is they’re focusing on getting healthy, local food into hands that don’t have access to them.”

Pirmann described the mobile markets as a “great” source of revenue for farms that connect them deeper to the community. She said they create a dynamic between farmers and consumers.

Additionally, Pirmann said the mobile markets promote health benefits, providing an alternative to the “junk” of other options like fast food.

“This offers a healthier choice to everybody,” Pirmann said. “This is just an extension to all the farmers markets in the area.”

Ellen Esling, a Food Works farmers market manager, said the mobile markets have been “well-received.” She said people are particularly “excited” about the EBT link matching program and benefits that make farmers market goods affordable to different income levels.

Elsing said she agrees with Pirmann that the mobile farmers markets grant opportunities for healthier lifestyles with access to fresh, locally sourced goods.

“I find that a lot of small farmers are really intentional about the way that they’re growing their food,” Elsing said.

Andrew Connors, a customer at the Herrin location, said he was drawn to the mobile farmers market for produce over grocery chains like Walmart or Kroger.

“I think there’s something to be said for getting your produce from where you live at,” Connors said. “There are really good products around here that people put out for getting things locally and fresh.”