Akron launches mobile grocery store to combat food insecurity

    AKRON, Ohio (WEWS) -- The concept: a fridge on wheels.

Summit Fresh Mobile Market is a converted bus borrowed from a similar program in Mahoning Valley, packed with fresh produce, meat, dairy products and more.

The City of Akron Director of Sustainability and Resiliency, Casey Shevlin, said the idea of the mobile market first sprouted in early 2024.

“We thought it was pretty brilliant,” Shevlin stated.

The mobile market is in its early stages, experimentally popping up at places like the Joy Park Community Center in January.

“The mission of the mobile grocery store is to bring the grocery store to where people most need it. Like a lot of cities, Akron has these pockets in the community where there might not be a brick-and-mortar grocery store. It's a pretty common problem across the country,” Shevlin added.

While the market is available to all in Akron, Akron City Council noted five zip codes at the latest council meeting known as “food deserts” it hopes to especially help with the market: 44302, 44305, 44306, 44307, 44314.

According to Shevlin, the mobile market accepts cash, credit cards, debit cards, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) benefits.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, members approved an allocation of $175,000 to go towards the mobile market.

Funding for the project will come from a grant from the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America and the United States Conference of Mayors.

“They need their own bus. They'll have big sort of startup expenses like that, that this money will go towards,” Shevlin explained.

Shevlin said the finer details will be ironed out in the next couple of weeks, including when the funding will roll in.