1 month ago
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SHOWS US WHAT KIND OF FOOD PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO BUY. COME WEDNESDAY, PEOPLE LIVING IN ENSLEY WILL BE THE FIRST ONES TO GET A TASTE OF THE FRESH PRODUCE COMING FROM THIS GROCERY STORE. ON WHEELS, PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO SHOP IN THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES IN A SPACE I WOULD SAY IS QUITE, QUITE LUXURIOUS. ANTOINETTE VINES IS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF MERCY DELIVERANCE MINISTRIES. STEELE DONATIONS NOW HAVE HELPED PAY FOR THIS BUS FOR YEARS. THE ORGANIZATION HAS DEDICATED ITS TIME HANDING OUT FREE BOX FOOD TO PEOPLE IN ENSLEY. VINE SAYS THIS MOBILE GROCERY BUS ONLY EXPANDS THEIR EFFORTS FURTHER OUT TO OTHER FOOD DESERT COMMUNITIES. WHEN THEY SEE THIS BUS IN ROUTE AND THE OTHERS THAT ARE TO COME, I WANT THEM TO BE REMINDED THAT GOD THOUGHT ENOUGH OF THEM. THIS IS HOW IT WORKS. YOU GRAB A BASKET AND YOU START YOUR SHOPPING HERE IN THE MOBILE GROCERY STORE. THEY HAVE A VARIETY OF ITEMS HERE, FROM PASTA, SEASONING, BREAKFAST ITEMS, EVEN CONDIMENTS. BUT THE BIGGEST THING FOR ORGANIZERS IS THE ACCESS NOW TO FRESH PRODUCE, WHICH WILL BE HERE IN THIS REFRIGERATOR STARTING TOMORROW. VINE SAYS DONATIONS HELP THEM SUBSIDIZE THE FOOD PRICES. FOR EXAMPLE, CANNED FOODS ON THIS BUS MAY COST A CUSTOMER ABOUT $0.80. NOW THAT TAX FREE SHOPPING, HOWEVER, ONLY APPLIES TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE SNAP BENEFITS AND THAT WHO QUALIFY FOR FREE AND REDUCED LUNCHES. HOWEVER, THOSE LOW PRICES THAT MIGHT BE AT WHOLESALE OR SLIGHTLY 1 TO 2 TO 3% ABOVE WHOLESALE, THOSE PRICES AND THOSE SAVINGS ARE AVAILABLE TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, VINE SAYS. WHILE IT’S TAKEN THEM FOUR YEARS TO FINALLY GET THIS BUS, THE TIMING COULDN’T COME SOON ENOUGH FOR FAMILIES WHO SHE KNOWS ARE STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE DURING THE HOLIDAYS. KNOWING THAT GOD LOVES THEM. GOD HAS A PLAN. HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN THEM. AND REGARDLESS OF HOW BAD THINGS ARE, THEY WILL GET BETTER BECAUSE HE’S ALREADY OVERCOME AND THAT’S WHAT I WANT THEM TO SEE. VINE ADDS, THEY’RE ONLY TAKING ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, NO CASH, AND RIGHT NOW THEIR SNAP APPROVAL IS PENDING IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. I’M MAGDALA LOUISSAINT WVTM 13. AND YOU CAN HEAD TO WVTM 13.COM TO
Grocery store on wheels launches first in Ensley to help feed families in food desert areas
Come Wednesday, people living in Ensley will be the first ones to get a taste of the fresh produce coming from this grocery store on wheels.“People will be able to shop right comfort in their own communities, I would say quite luxurious, Antoinette Vines, the founder and president of Mercy Deliverance Ministries, said.For years, the organization has dedicated its time to handing out free boxed food to people in Ensley. Vines said this mobile grocery bus only expands their efforts further out to other food desert communities.“When they see this bus en route and the others to come, I want to be reminded that God thought enough of them,” Vines said.When you walk into the grocery bus, you grab a basket to start shopping in the mobile grocery store. There, you will find a variety of items, from pasta, various seasonings, breakfast items, and even condiments. The biggest bonus is access to fresh produce. Vines said donations help them subsidize the food prices. For example, canned foods on this bus may cost a customer about 80 cents."That tax-free shopping only applies to those people who receive SNAP benefits or qualify for free and reduced lunches. However, those low prices that might be at wholesale or slightly one to two percent above wholesale, those prices and savings are available to the entire community," Vines said. Vines said while it has taken them four years to finally get this bus, the timing couldn't come soon enough for families who she knows are struggling to put food on the table during the holidays.“Know that God has a plan, and he has not forgotten them. And regardless of how things are they will get better because they’ll overcome. That's what I want them to see," Vines said.Vine said they're only taking electronic payments, no cash, and right now their snap approval is pending. To see the entire list of where the bus will be throughout the week, check the website https://www.mercydm.org/mobile-grocery-bus/If you want the bus to stop in your neighborhood, send an email to Vines at Avines@mercydm.org.
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. —
Come Wednesday, people living in Ensley will be the first ones to get a taste of the fresh produce coming from this grocery store on wheels.
“People will be able to shop right comfort in their own communities, I would say quite luxurious, Antoinette Vines, the founder and president of Mercy Deliverance Ministries, said.
For years, the organization has dedicated its time to handing out free boxed food to people in Ensley.
Vines said this mobile grocery bus only expands their efforts further out to other food desert communities.
“When they see this bus en route and the others to come, I want to be reminded that God thought enough of them,” Vines said.
When you walk into the grocery bus, you grab a basket to start shopping in the mobile grocery store. There, you will find a variety of items, from pasta, various seasonings, breakfast items, and even condiments. The biggest bonus is access to fresh produce.
Vines said donations help them subsidize the food prices. For example, canned foods on this bus may cost a customer about 80 cents.
"That tax-free shopping only applies to those people who receive SNAP benefits or qualify for free and reduced lunches. However, those low prices that might be at wholesale or slightly one to two percent above wholesale, those prices and savings are available to the entire community," Vines said.
Vines said while it has taken them four years to finally get this bus, the timing couldn't come soon enough for families who she knows are struggling to put food on the table during the holidays.
“Know that God has a plan, and he has not forgotten them. And regardless of how things are they will get better because they’ll overcome. That's what I want them to see," Vines said.
Vine said they're only taking electronic payments, no cash, and right now their snap approval is pending.
To see the entire list of where the bus will be throughout the week, check the website https://www.mercydm.org/mobile-grocery-bus/
If you want the bus to stop in your neighborhood, send an email to Vines at Avines@mercydm.org.
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