Sep. 28—The Tahlequah Farmers’ Market will soon hit the road to pilot its Cherokee County Mobile Market program.
TFM President Marla Saeger described what the mobile market will look like.
“We have a new trailer that we are going to have stocked with products. When we arrive at our ‘sites’, our door will open, volunteers will pull tents, tables, and chairs out to create a ‘pop-up’ market,” said Saeger. “We will have produce in baskets, baked goods, and canned goods of jams, jellies and sauces.”
Saeger said TFM will have all its programs available at each CCMM, including SNAP, Double-Up, and the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program.
Lora Buechele, TSET Healthy Living Programs Coordinator, said the mobile markets will look different in each community. The Cherokee County pilot project is underway this fall, a period Buechele said will allow TFM to learn what consumers want and need.
“Currently, we are planning to source food from our local vendors and seek a wholesaler who can provide more shelf staple items,” she said. “The majority of our products will include fresh fruits and vegetables while you will also find canned and baked goods.”
The pilot will also allow TFM to get hands-on experience with operations, procurement, financial capacity, staffing, building community support, and gaining additional funding.
“At the completion of our 6-week pilot, we will re-evaluate everything we have learned and prepare for our official launch in summer of 2023,” said Buechele.
The pilot will focus on the Tahlequah community.
“I find it so important to remind ourselves that this is just a pilot, this is our trial-and-error phase. We want to learn from the next six weeks so we know how to better serve our community. Providing better access to healthy foods is a great passion of mine,” said Buechele. “I am excited to see how our community’s mobile market can help feed and fuel those who need it most.”
Buechele said the mission of the CCMM project is to improve the health and wellbeing of Cherokee County residents by providing access to affordable and healthy foods in a consumer-friendly environment.
TFM is working with its partners at the Cherokee County Health Services Council and TSET Healthy Living Program to gather data on where greater access to food is needed.
“We are looking at areas that have a larger density of lower income housing, less transportation, our senior populations, and single income households,” said Buechele. “We are also looking at where the people already are gathering, going to the people.
More information
Buechele requested those wanting to support this project to email [email protected]. They are currently seeking corporate sponsors and local donations.
