COLUMBIA, S.C. — The City of Columbia is extending its efforts to combat food insecurity by bringing "mobile markets" to neighborhoods without a grocery store.
The City Council Tuesday evening approving a $143,000 contract with Tom's Creek Family Farms, continuing it's its Food Insecurity Solutions Program into next year.
The initiative, which launched in March, brings mobile food markets to neighborhoods classified as food deserts—areas where residents lack easy access to grocery stores.
Areas of North Main suffer from a lack of a grocery store in walking distance, says Denise Wellman, president of the Cottontown Neighborhood Association.
"The neighbors of all neighborhoods close by are concerned that we don't have one close by. So it is a bit of a food desert. We've got a great grocery store in the Vista and one down in Five Points, but those are a little far away," she said.
A 2020 report by Columbia's Food Equity Subcommittee identified low-income areas where grocery stores are more than half a mile away. Many residents in these neighborhoods lack access to transportation, making it even harder to obtain fresh food.
The mobile markets aim to bridge that gap, delivering produce from local businesses, like Tom’s Creek Farm, directly to communities, says Ayesha Driggers, director of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities.
"We're bringing the market to the community. So one of the big issues with food insecurities is lack of transportation. So it was important to the city to bring those markets to the community where our citizens exist," Driggers said.
Since its launch, the program has operated at three locations, serving about 25 customers daily and generating an average of $620 in daily sales, according to documents from the meeting agenda. A fourth stop at the COMET Central bus station on Sumter Street was later added and will become a formal part of the program budget under the extended contract, funded by private donations and money from the American Rescue Plan Act.
But city officials say this isn't a solution to food deserts in Columbia.
"I think we recognize that it takes a multi-prong approach. There's not a one-size-fits-all," said Driggers. "In addition to the mobile market, we also have the GAP program, the grocery assistance program that we have partnered with Instacart to pay for delivery services of groceries," she said.
Residents like Wellman appreciate the fresh produce the mobile markets bring but still hope for a permanent grocery store in the area.
"We're going into the holiday season, and boy, you go into your pantry when you're in the middle of making something and companies coming and you don't have what you need. To go far away, especially if the grocery store doesn't have adequate parking, lots of congestion that makes it really difficult to get in and out quickly for those things that you do need," Wellman said.
The new contract with Tom’s Creek Farm will begin in January and continue until 2026. While the mobile market is closed for the holidays, it will resume operations in January. Here’s the weekly schedule:
- Monday: Hyatt Park on North Main Street
- Tuesday: COMET Bus Stop on Sumter Street
- Wednesday: Greenview Park on David Street
- Thursday: Near the Drew Wellness Center on Harden Street