Whole Foods Market's mobile grocer My Street Grocery collaborates on food prescription program

Photo credit: My Street Grocery on Twitter

Operating from a refurbished classic trolley car, My Street Grocery is a mobile grocer that travels to neighborhoods throughout the Portland metro area and is focused on improving fresh food access and building community by introducing choices, resources and relationships that celebrate the joy of food. Today, Whole Foods Market is pleased to announce My Street Grocery's spring schedule for 2015, with expanded hours and three additional community market locations. These new locations include Rockwood (Gresham), Maywood Park and St. Helens.

Once the spring schedule is in full swing, My Street Grocery will operate community markets five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday. The trolley is stocked with produce, pantry staples, as well as dairy, meats and frozen fruits and vegetables. Whenever possible, the mobile grocery store sources from the hundreds of local producers Whole Foods Market partners with in the Pacific Northwest.

My Street Grocery represents a partnership between Whole Foods Market and local healthcare providers, social service agencies, faith-based organizations, schools and neighbors. Together, these organizations believe there is great value in building healthy communities and share a vision that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy food.

Food Prescription Program Gains Momentum

Whole Foods Market's Food Access Coordinator Amelia Pape works with each partner to address the very specific needs of the community. For example, Legacy Health recognized the value of providing patients with chronic diseases access to fresh, healthy food and created an innovative Food Prescription Program. Supported by a grant from the Good Samaritan Foundation, patients receive vouchers to purchase produce and groceries from the My Street Grocery community market at Legacy Medical Group - Good Samaritan in Northwest Portland. In 2014, My Street Grocery expanded its partnership with Legacy Health with the opening of a community market at Legacy Medical Group - Emanuel, and Randall Children's Hospital in north Portland.

Based on the impact the existing partnership is making, Legacy Health is expanding service to St. Helens. Starting on April 1, Legacy Medical Group - St. Helens will become the fourth Food Prescription Partner within Legacy Health. It is My Street Grocery's first rural community partner.

"With My Street Grocery, we've designed a food access program that gains its strength from a coalition of like-minded partners," said Amelia Pape, founder of My Street Grocery and Whole Foods Market Food Access Coordinator. "As we enter this new season, it's been wonderful to grow our network of passionate partners. We're excited about the impact our collaborative efforts will have on the neighborhoods we serve, and we're looking forward to meeting new friends and sharing the joy of good food."

"We have many patients who often experience barriers to quality and affordable fresh food. Many of them also suffer from multiple chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart failure," said Larissa Ienna, Nurse Practitioner at Legacy Medical Group - St. Helens. "We are constantly teaching our patients about fresh fruits, vegetables, dry beans and lean proteins. Having direct access to My Street Grocery will be an invaluable resource for both our patients and community."

My Street Grocery is one component of Whole Foods Market's commitment to making a difference in every community where it does business. My Street Grocery is a complement to Whole Foods Market's Whole Cities Foundation. Both the Foundation and My Street Grocery are expressions of the company's core values - "serve and support local and global communities" and "promote the health of stakeholders through healthy eating education" - in action, and embody the company's commitment to food access for all.

My Street Grocery community markets are open to the public, and accept cash, credit/debit, and SNAP/EBT. The current schedule for My Street Grocery includes the following community markets.

For complete information on dates and locations, please visit http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mystreetgrocery.