Advancing a Healthy Community Through Access to Nutrition

The Challenge: Food Deserts and Limited Transportation

For neighbors living in food deserts, the nearest place to buy fresh food is often more than five miles away. With limited access to transportation and little or no public transit, this distance creates a major barrier to healthy living.

For individuals and families living in poverty, this lack of access is compounded by rising food costs. When healthier options aren’t available or affordable, people are often forced to rely on cheaper, highly processed foods that are loaded with sugar and sodium. Over time, this contributes to poor health outcomes, including higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

The Action: A Mobile Market That Brings Food to the People

Feeding the Valley Food Bank, a United Way partner, is working to change that reality. With support from Publix, Feeding the Valley launched a Mobile Farmer’s Market truck designed to bring fresh produce directly to communities in need.

This custom-built vehicle includes cold storage and an open-side display to showcase fruits and vegetables. It creates a pop-up produce market anywhere it goes.

Built to Reach Rural Communities

The mobile truck is smaller than a traditional food delivery vehicle. It can travel roads that larger trucks can’t access due to low-hanging power lines or tight neighborhood layouts. This flexibility means it can reach deeper into rural areas.

The truck removes transportation as a barrier and brings nutrition right to people’s doorsteps.

Making an Impact: Delivering Thousands of Pounds of Produce

The Mobile Farmer’s Market truck runs four days a week. It visits rural communities once per day and often travels twice daily in Muscogee and Russell Counties. Each month, it delivers about 54,000 pounds of fresh produce to neighbors in need.

Supporting a Healthier Community for All

This program directly supports United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley’s Healthy Community impact area. Our goal is to improve health and well-being for all by removing barriers like food insecurity.

Feeding the Valley focuses its mobile deliveries in senior housing and low-income neighborhoods. This work helps ensure everyone—no matter where they live or how much they earn—can access nutritious food and build a healthier life.

Powered by Community Investment

A portion of Feeding the Valley’s programming is funded by United Way through Community Investment Grants. These grants are awarded annually through a competitive process that is reviewed and selected by a team of local community volunteers.

Together, we’re delivering more than food. We’re improving health and wellbeing for all.