ST. LOUIS — St. Louis MetroMarket will begin its 2022 season starting Wednesday.
MetroMarket is a non-profit mobile grocery store that offers affordable food and fresh produce to those living in food deserts via a retrofitted MetroBus, according to a press release about MetroMarket's Tuesday event celebrating the launch of their seventh season.
MetroMarket partners with seven locations weekly to make two-hour stops at each location, offering fresh, affordable produce to those in the community. MetroMarket aims to empower the community to shop at lower prices than retail grocers.
The mobile grocery says it carefully selects fresh produce from local farmers.
“We are excited to begin this new season and see all the faces we’ve gotten to know over the years, as well as get to know new customers,” said Quinton Ward, Senior Manager of MetroMarket in the release. “Since our first season, MetroMarket has provided fresh, healthy food to tens of thousands of people annually.”
This year, MetroMarket will have expanded community nutrition services, increased access to resources and new partnerships with organizations in the community, the news release said.
MetroMarket was acquired by Operation Food Search in November 2021.
"The two agencies had worked together for eight years and chose to formalize their partnership so they could grow the program," it says in the release.
Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization in St. Louis that provides free food, nutrition education and innovative programs have proven to reduce food insecurity, the release says.
"With a strategic focus aimed at ending childhood hunger, OFS empowers families and increases access to healthy and affordable food."
According to the release, "OFS provides food and services to 200,000 individuals on a monthly basis – one-third of whom are children – through a network of 330 community partners in 27 Missouri and Illinois."
“MetroMarket is a program we can all feel good about. That colorful bus rolling into communities and delivering fresh, healthy food to people is a wonderful example of how nonprofits can leverage creativity and powerful partnerships to create meaningful solutions,” Kristen Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search said in the release.
The kick-off event will begin at noon Tuesday at the Operation Food Search headquarters, located at 1644 Lotsie Boulevard in St. Louis.
MetroMarket will take place every Wednesday through Saturday from May to November.
Here is a list of MetroMarket stops for the 2022 season and the dates and times in which they'll be visited.
Wednesdays:
- Affinia Healthcare (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- St. Louis County Library: Lewis and Clark branch (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Thursdays:
- People's Health Center (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- Affinia Healthcare Biddle (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Fridays:
- Care STL (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
- A Ferguson location is being determined, but it will be visited by the MetroMarket from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays.
Saturdays:
- YMCA O'Fallon Park (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
- MetroMarket will make additional stops on Saturdays to locations shared through text message updates, the release said.
You can follow the link here to scan a QR code to sign up for MetroMarket text updates.
