ROCKFORD, IL — The non-profit Farmers Rising is teaming with City Center Market in hopes of bringing an innovative “grocery store on wheels” to Rockford, seeking up to $822,000 in financial assistance from the city.
City Center Market, a downtown grocery store and pharmacy located at 325 W. State St., would stock and sell fresh produce, meat, eggs and dairy products from a custom-made refrigerated trailer as a mobile grocery store. Farmers Rising, which operates educational farms in Caledonia and Rockford, would administer the program, work with local farmers and secure public and private support to subsidize the cost and keep food at an affordable price.
The goal would be to match or beat the prices of groceries at Walmart or Aldi. The trailer would be akin to a grocery store aisle, but capable of bringing the food to where it is most needed — in the food “deserts” and “swamps” of Rockford.
“Far too many individuals and families face significant barriers to accessing fresh produce, nutritious groceries, and essential household items due to limited transportation, geographic isolation, economic hardship or an absence of a nearby full-service grocery store,” said Pamela Clark Reidenbach, representing a Belonging Begins With Us Task Force.
The initiative championed by the late NAACP Rockford Branch President George Scott and his wife, Angie, was announced at a news conference June 23 inside City Center Market.
Ald. Tamir Bell, D-13, said too many Rockford families are forced to walk long distances to reach groceries that aren’t necessarily healthy and are too expensive for them to afford as public food benefits are squeezed.
Bell said the project it is seeking up to $200,000 in 2025 city casino funds and $622,000 in 2026 casino funds for a total of up to $822,000. It would include funds to build the customized trailer that is needed and support for the first three years of operations.
The Rockford Planning & Development Committee balked at the funding plan, rejecting it on a 2-2 vote during a June 22 meeting. Ald. Tim Durkee, R-1, and Ald. Gina Meeks, D-12, opposed it while Ald. Dawn Granath, D-9, and Ald. Janessa Neal, D-7, supported it. It now goes to City Council with a negative recommendation.
Under the plan, Farmers Rising would work to fundraise to offset the city’s costs and subsidize the cost of the groceries.
Farmers Rising Executive Director Jackie De Batista said everyone should have access to fresh and affordable food “regardless of where they live, have transportation or what their income may be.”
“This idea, the simple idea, is even more important today as food prices continue to rise and public benefits decline,” De Batista said. “The reality is many people in our community are forced to travel all the way across town to access fresh food, or they have to rely on high-priced, unhealthy, packaged foods sold at convenience stores in order to feed themselves and their families. The Rockford Mobile Grocery Store addresses this gap.”
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on X @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford ‘grocery store on wheels’ faces bumpy road ahead
Reporting by Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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By Jeff Kolkey, Rockford Register Star | USA TODAY Network
