Savannah neighborhoods depend on the Forsyth Farmer’s Market truck, affectionately named Juicy, to deliver fresh and affordable produce. Now FFM is looking to upgrade to a new truck to better serve those areas and expand the Farm Truck 912 Program to new ones, and you can help with their fundraising efforts.
Juicy is a 23-year-old vehicle that started off as a Wonder Bread truck but was converted to a mobile market for the Farm Truck 912 Program. Since October of 2015, the truck has been rolling through low-income neighborhoods to deliver fresh produce. For many, this is their only reliable access to fruits and vegetables.
“Everything that we do at Forsyth Farmers’ Market has two missions, one is to serve farmers and the other is to improve food access in our community,” said Jeb Bush, executive director of FFM.
Juicy doesn’t have the same get-up-and-go that she did when she was built in 1999. The truck has been breaking down more often. The cost to fix the truck is also going up to the point where it makes more financial sense to purchase a new truck.
“We’ve been putting Band-Aids on and Band-Aids on, and now it’s just time to purchase a new truck.”
In an interview with WTOC, Jeb mentioned that the truck has broken down more than 80 times in the last 18 months. That would certainly be an inconvenience for any program, but to Jeb and the other folks at the Forsyth Farmers’ Market, it’s more than that. The whole purpose of the mobile food market is to serve the community better than they could before.
“A four-hour downtown market is not currently meeting the needs of the community.”
Juicy’s breakdowns are causing cancellations in neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to a grocery store with fresh fruits and vegetables. That’s something the Forsyth Farmers’ Market can’t let continue.
“We’re removing physical barriers to produce by being there, and we’re removing financial barriers by doubling SNAP dollars.”
FFM has a goal of $150,000 to buy a truck by July. They’ve raised around $100,000 so far. It’s up to concerned citizens and businesses to help them get the rest of the way there.
Steps are already being taken to use the new truck to serve areas of Chatham County that have also been under served. Jeb says they are discussing how to add Port Wentworth, Garden City, Pooler, and possibly more.
“We’re going to be expanding the stops that we do. We’re going to be changing up how we do some of the stops. We’ll still have actual stops, but we’re also thinking of ice cream truck-style where we go through the streets of neighborhoods.”
Ultimately, the Forsyth Farmers’ Market isn’t just a gathering spot for Saturdays in Forsyth Park, it’s about making sure everyone in Chatham County can benefit from easily accessible fresh produce. If you’d like to help, click here for a direct link to the donation page.
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