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Fresh fruits and vegetables are an essential part of any healthy diet. But what if you live in a neighborhood where many people don't have a car, and where the nearest grocery store is miles away?
The answer is easy. You bring the store to the people. And that is what's happening in West Oakland, California.
The fruits and vegetables look as fresh and inviting as the produce you find in any high-end supermarket. But this is no ordinary store.
For a start, it's on wheels. This is the people's grocery mobile market. It serves the people of West Oakland, Calfornia, a community of some 30,000 people where there are more than 30 liquor stores, but only one grocery.
Many people don't have a car, and bus services in the community were recently cut.
Malaika Edwards, People's Grocery: "So one of our tag lines is bring it to ya.. because we are giving them access to healthy, affordable, organic foods and fresh foods, but also bringing it to where people are and where people need it."
The people's grocery grows some of the produce itself in its five community gardens. The rest it gets at wholesale prices from the farmers market. It means the food is not only healthy, it's also affordable.
Malaika Edwards: "We have had huge produce sales, and the people, especially the older people, are just overjoyed to see their favorite things, like fresh black eyed peas and okra, and collard greens and things like that right at their doorstep in the neighborhood."
The mobile market runs twice a week right now, making several stops each time. First stop is McClymonds High School, trying to offer young people healthy alternatives to high fat junk foods.
Jovanda Harris, customer "It's better than eating all that other stuff in stores, all that greasy old foods and stuff. It's better than eating all that."
The people's grocery has a simple philosophy. To have a healthy community, you have to have a healthy diet. The mobile market brings that message to the people who need it most.
