VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — For Virginia Beach's Gloria Green, it just became a lot easier to get her groceries... not only for herself but for her neighbors at Lynnhaven Landing Apartments.
"I go to Food Lion and Aldi, but they're nothing like this," Green told 13News Now.
On Wednesday, the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore unveiled the "757 Mobile Markets," a fleet of transformed motor vehicles equipped to act as mobile food pantries with an emphasis on fresh produce in a farmers market-style approach.
From the outside, it may look like a colorful bus, but President & CEO Dr. Ruth Jones Nichols says not to be mistaken because the real story is inside its doors.
“A farmers market on wheels that travels to areas with high rates of food insecurity or neighborhoods that are food deserts," Dr. Jones Nichols said.
The four vehicles will rotate location five days a week, serving different communities throughout Hampton Roads like Bayside and Lake Edward in Virginia Beach, Norfolk's St. Paul's neighborhood, and more. Residents will be able to shop among the assortment of food at no cost for the foreseeable future.
Dr. Jones Nichols says that the communities are determined based on the greatest need, with priority going toward those with higher rates of food insecurity.
“Over 130,000 individuals will experience food insecurity in southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore," Dr. Jones Nichols said at Wednesday's ribbon-cutting, noting a roughly 18-percent increase in food insecurity for the region between 2019 and 2021.
"It's hard to believe that right here in Virginia Beach there are over 40,000 individuals, including nearly 11,000 children who are food insecure," Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said.
Green regularly drives to local grocery stores but says many people nearby don't have reliable transportation
“There’s a lot of people that don’t have transportation, and they get on cabs to get where they need to go or Uber," Green said, who thinks the mobile-style approach will make it easier for her neighbors without reliable transportation to regularly access to the food they need.
“It helps the people that can’t get to the store," Green said.
The 757 Mobile Markets can serve up to 350 households per day, according to officials with the Foodbank of SEVA. While inside, residents will still have to adhere to social distancing and mask-wearing protocols.