A new mobile market is tackling food deserts in North Carolina, where 1.4 million people struggle to find healthy food. Ripe for Revival, a nonprofit based in Rocky Mount, has partnered with Coastal Credit Union to increase the availability of fresh produce in underserved areas.

Jonathan Tyndall, operations manager for Ripe for Revival, said the group has a dual mission of supporting local farms and communities, and that by rescuing surplus produce that doesn't make it to grocery stores, Ripe for Revival creates a pay-as-you-go market to reach communities that need it most.

"It's just a way for fresh food to go into areas that otherwise don't have the affordability to get it, or they don't have the access to it. Because there's some areas we go to that they don't have grocery stores, and so a round trip would have to drive an hour," he explained.

To accomplish its mission, Ripe for Revival has converted five city transit buses and two 24-foot cargo trailers into mobile grocery stores. And with the support of Coastal Credit Union's sponsorship of more than $100 in grants, it's been able to add another trailer to its fleet.

These mobile units make about 18 stops and serve about ten counties per week, offering fresh produce and other items such as eggs and meat at prices about 30% lower than regular grocery stores. Tyndall said that impact will now be able to reach new areas and continue to grow with the additional Coastal Credit Union branded trailer.

"Part of their dollars allowed us to expand in the new counties. So they're going to help us to expand in Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren County, and also kind of extend our reach into Wake County, " he added.

Tyndall explained the group envisions expanding Ripe for Revival's operations to other counties, with a target of serving 23 and hosting 45 events per week by the end of the year. He said these efforts not only support healthier communities, but also help reduce food waste and challenge the stereotypes surrounding food insecurity.

"What do a lot of college students live off of? As a joke, people talk about ramen noodles. So that's actually a form of food insecurity," he explained. "There are certain communities that we go into where they don't have anything except for a Family Dollar [store]. And so, there's nothing fresh for them to go in to purchase."

He said that these mobile markets are not limited to those in need. They are designed to serve everyone, regardless of their circumstances. More information is online at ripeforrevival.com, or on social media platforms.

Children's advocates are crying foul after House Republicans called for $12 billion in cuts to school meal programs, including the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows high-poverty school districts to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their ability to pay.

Erin Hysom, senior policy analyst at the Food Research and Action Center, said the funds are an important public investment and no child can learn on an empty stomach.

"We hear from teachers all the time that when schools offer healthy school meals for all, behavior in the classroom improves," Hysom reported. "Their academics improve and they're able to graduate and become more productive members of society."

Some 557 Colorado schools serving more than 206,000 students are projected to be affected. The proposed cuts are part of a sweeping effort by Republicans to eliminate waste and inefficiency in the federal budget in order to pay for extending President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other policy priorities, including mass deportations.

Hysom noted the Community Eligibility Provision has already reduced inefficiency and red tape, and cuts would send school nutrition directors away from kitchens and back to their desks to deal with unnecessary paperwork. She added the move would also affect farm-to-school initiatives putting money directly into the pockets of local farms and ranches.

"They're able to meet with local agricultural producers and bring in local products that not only improve the nutrition of the meal but also support the local economy," Hysom explained.

Cuts to federal nutrition funding would certainly not help Colorado's Healthy School Meals for All initiative, passed by voters in 2022. The popular program is competing with other priorities as the state grapples with a $1.2 billion budget shortfall.

Hysom worries the cuts could also mean the return of lunch line shaming.

"It really creates this stigma in the cafeteria," Hysom contended. "When we offer school meals to all children at no charge, it reduces that stigma."


get more stories like this via email

Organizations working to fight food insecurity across Arkansas support two bills before state legislators.

The Grocery Tax Relief Act would repeal the state grocery tax and the Good Neighbor Act would expand protections for food donors and food banks.

Brian Burton, CEO of Arkansas Foodbank, said several recent bills passed by lawmakers have helped Arkansans who cannot afford food.

"Expanding school lunch programs and raising the asset limit on SNAP Benefits," Burton outlined. "And in the current session they passed the universal Free School Breakfast bill."

Arkansas is one of only 10 states in the country with a grocery tax. It generates approximately $10 million a year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has ranked Arkansas number one for food insecurity for the last two years. If the bills are passed, they will go into effect in January 2026.

Burton noted they are monitoring possible changes in federal funding because of cuts by the Trump Administration.

"When they talk about cutting the federal budget, they are hurting low-resource states like Arkansas because we are very dependent on all the myriads of federal government programs," Burton pointed out. "Some of which have been funded for decades."

Nearly 11,000 more Arkansans are struggling to make ends meet than in 2022. It's estimated nearly 47% of Arkansas households are living paycheck to paycheck. Burton stressed those residents will be affected the most by any changes.

"Programs like SNAP and WIC, the Farm bill, these are mission-critical and central to the fight against food insecurity," Burton contended. "In fact, 80% of food insecurity is solved through some form of federal nutrition program."


get more stories like this via email

Gov. Bill Lee has opted Tennessee out of the federal Summer EBT program and nonprofit groups in the state said they will work to fill the gap for families in need.

Summer EBT provides $40 a month per child for food assistance when kids are out of school.

Ella Clay, executive director of the nonprofit Healing Minds and Souls, said losing $75 million in federal aid is disappointing. Her organization serves 500 meals a week and provides resources to families in the 37208 ZIP code, an area with high food insecurity and significant challenges for residents.

"We have food," Clay pointed out. "We have produce, vegetables, fruits, personal hygiene products, products for your household, and various products even for children. And so, those are the ways that we're here to serve our community."

Nearly 700,000 children benefited from the Summer EBT program last year in Tennessee. Gov. Lee has instead announced a state-funded alternative to provide a one-time, $120 payment to eligible families in underserved counties.

C.J. Sentell, CEO of the Nashville Food Project, said despite the proposed federal budget cuts, his organization vows to keep providing summer meals for kids and continue participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program.

Sentell noted they are working with 50 partners to deliver nearly 7,000 meals weekly from two kitchens.

"We work with those organizations to enhance their programming with food," Sentell explained. "All of our work is done in partnership with other organizations and 65% of our meals are going to children and seniors, so, think after-school programs, senior adult programs."

He added they work with partners and use federal programs to reduce costs, providing food to child care centers like Saint Luke's Community House and have expanded partnerships in the past year to reach more people with food and curb costs.


get more stories like this via email