Great Article: Fresh produce vans will roll into Houston's 'food deserts'
Last edited Mon Feb 6, 2012, 05:36 PM - Edit history (1)
As an oasis in one of Houston's sprawling "food deserts," the little grocery store wasn't much. Wilted mustard greens, pocked tomatoes and past-their-prime cantaloupes filled the produce bins. Soft drinks, candy and salty snacks lurked tantalizingly nearby.
Places like this inner-city store make it hard for many Houston residents to buy fresh, healthful food for their families. Along with fast-food vendors, health officials say, such stores promote poor eating habits that lead to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and
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By year's end, Cavnar's group, Recipe for Success, plans to service such neighborhoods as Denver Harbor, Sunnyside, Kashmere Gardens and Acres Homes with a "rolling greenmarket," an oversized step van stocked with affordable, locally grown seasonal fruits and vegetables.
"We'll roll into a neighborhood, pop out our awning and set up a temporary market with the produce of the day," Cavnar said. "Sometimes we'll have a chef on board doing cooking demonstrations. ... We'll be a combination produce market and education center."
more: http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Fresh-produce-vans-will-roll-into-Houston-s-food-3041408.php
= new reply since forum marked as read
I'm going to send a link to this article to some friends of mine who are on the board of our local (all organic/natural) farmers market. The market already accepts SNAP ("food stamps"
cards and, thanks to a grant, can double the amount of tokens purchased by SNAP account holders. The tokens can then be used to purchase fresh produce at the market. This makes it more affordable for low income families to purchase high quality, organic, locally grown foods!
