Harry Chapin Food Bank unveiled its “Fresh Force” mobile grocery experience during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 4.
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Harry Chapin Food Bank, the largest hunger relief organization in Southwest Florida, has launched its new mobile market, “Fresh Force.” The food bank held an unveiling and ribbon cutting for the mobile market on Oct. 4 at Oxbow Bar & Grill.
The “Fresh Force” mobile grocery experience is an innovative program that aims to make food more readily accessible in rural areas, where families have transportation barriers or are not able to regularly access food through traditional grocery stores.
“This is not simply a vehicle, but a movement that is going to revolutionize the fight against hunger here in Southwest Florida,” said Stuart Haniff, the chief development officer at Harry Chapin Food Bank. “We have 170 charity partners that we work with all across our five-county footprint. We have hundreds of programs and distributions we run internally, but none of those do any good if the neighbors we serve can’t get to us. With this mobile grocery store, we will be able to get to our neighbors.”
The “Fresh Force” mobile grocery experience will provide community members with the opportunity to select fresh produce, canned and dry goods, frozen meats, bread and grains. The initiative includes donated items, farmers’ market-style goods, and education, empowering communities with healthy choices.
The mobile grocery experience is powered by a generous grant from the Publix Charities Foundation. Harry Chapin Food Bank received the grant for the effort in 2021, but supply chain issues caused a delay in launching the experience.
Publix Super Markets and the Publix Charities Foundation are major contributors to Harry Chapin Food Bank. In September, Harry Chapin Food Bank recognized Publix’s contribution by naming it the inaugural Donor of the Month.
“We’ve all got a responsibility to give back to the communities we serve,” said Brian West, community relations manager at Publix Super Markets. “We’re very thankful for this trailer and we can’t wait to see it do some great things in this community.”
The mobile grocery experience will allow Harry Chapin Food Bank to provide additional services and outreach to rural and economically disadvantaged communities.
“This new “Fresh Force” mobile market is going to have a transformative impact on our community. We hope to be able to bring them to communities that lack financial resources and access and may be experiencing transportation barriers,” said Marissa Stress-Peterson, the director of community impact and partnerships at Harry Chapin Food Bank. “We currently serve more than 250,000 individuals in our community, and the needs keep growing. We hope to serve even more families in our community.”
More than 134,250 people in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry counties faced food insecurity in 2021. Food insecurity is defined as the lack of access to enough food for a healthy, active lifestyle.
“I am so thankful for the numerous organizations and nonprofits, like Harry Chapin, that step up and fill so many needs in this community,” said Fort Myers mayor Kevin Anderson. “While Hunger Action Month may be over, hunger in Southwest Florida is not. This is a problem we deal with on a daily basis. We have food deserts, people with food insecurity and we are so thankful that Harry Chapin is there to help us battle those problems.”
Fort Myers councilman Liston Bochette, Fort Myers CRA executive director Michele Hylton-Terry, representatives from the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, and other local community leaders attended the groundbreaking.
For more information about the Fresh Force mobile pantry experience, visit harrychapinfoodbank.org.
About Harry Chapin Food Bank
Harry Chapin Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida. The food bank rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to children, families, and seniors who are hungry through a series of food distribution programs that feed more than a quarter of a million people each month.
Harry Chapin Food Bank distributed $61.5 million worth of food in fiscal year 2022. Through our food distribution programs, we supplied 34.7 million pounds of food and other grocery items, including 12 million pounds of fresh produce. The food is the equivalent of 29 million meals distributed to those who are hungry.
Our membership with Feeding America enables us to amplify our food and distribution efforts and bring in food from various retail and grocery stores, national food producers and distributors, and growers locally, nationally, and even internationally.
Harry Chapin Food Bank is proud to be named a Blueprint Partner by the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. Harry Chapin Food Bank is also a United Way partner agency. For more information or to make a gift, call 239-334-7007 or visit harrychapinfoodbank.org.
Source: Harry Chapin Food Bank
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