A community-based food program has gotten a big financial boost from the city to help with rising demand.
Halifax Council approved a $100,000 increase to Mobile Food Market’s (MFM) budget bringing it up from $75,000 to $175,700.
Executive Director, Mandy Chapman tells our newsroom the money will enable them to sustain their capacity and but also broaden their reach.
“We have around 35 community organizations that are looking either to have a community market like the one we have in Dartmouth. Or mobile food market in their community,” says Chapman.
She adds, people also ask if they can deliver in bulk and that comes down to capacity.
What they do
MFM takes affordable food into communities that may lack access to it.
Chapman says they do this in a variety of different ways supporting 30 different community organizations.
“We are in nine elementary schools providing fresh fruit and vegetables for breakfast programs and lunch and cooking classes. We’re also in three seniors’ buildings.”
In addition to that, Chapman says, they have a truck out on the road that pops into a market in three communities supplying food in bulk.
Demand is high
Although the money from the city is welcome, Chapman says they are in discussions with the province for even more funding.
She says demand for affordable food has doubled over the past year and it shows no signs of stopping.
“We’ve done almost 300lbs of fresh produce, we see around 6,500 customers a year…that’s individual customers, not representing the families they are shopping for. We’ve seen almost 10,000 people visit our markets,” says Chapman.
And tariffs, she adds, are only going to make things worse.
“We’re seeing people lose their jobs because of tariffs. That’s just one of the many things causing people to be food insecure. Definitely inflation,” says Chapman.
“There’s a higher use of food banks and so the Mobile Food Market offers a dignified food solution to mitigate the risk of food insecurity.”
Sense of community
MFM only has three markets, but they are on the road six days a week providing food to organizations that support their own communities.
Chapman says it’s really lovely to see the sense of community that comes out of these markets.
“We see these beautiful relationships being built at our markets, where people have never met before and now, they continue to meet every week and have a coffee together and shop or talk and exchange recipes and say…’do you want to split that?'”
Chapman adds, their markets are really making a difference and helping community members’ “bottom line”.
“[They may say] I can afford groceries this week, and maybe now I can afford my medication or rent, and I don’t have to choose.”
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