Chicago— took those plans and ranwith
them,chargingonlyforitsmaterialstobuild
customshelvesthatslid intothesameholes
andbrackets that onceheld thebus’ seats.
Volunteerdesigners fromEPIC (Engaging
Philanthropy, Inspiring Creatives) cre-
ated thebus’s bright-red exterior and eye-
catching,mouth-wateringgraphicsoffruits
andvegetables.
“We realized that not all these things
could have been purchased,” Casey says.
“They came about because of the timewe
invested, the relationshipswe createdand
theknowledgewe gained.Wenever could
have launchedwithoutthem.”
FreshMoveshaspostedsomeimpressive
numberssinceitsheadline-grabbinglaunch.
By theendof 2012, customershad rungup
nearly 16,000 transactions and spent an
average of about $5.53 each— often paid
withaLinkcard issuedthroughtheIllinois
food-assistanceprogram. A$45,000grant
from theU.S. Department of Agriculture
inJune2012enabledFreshMoves toadda
secondbus thatnow serves theSouthSide.
Cityocialshaveencouragedorganizersto
apply forgrantsto fundthreemore.
FreshMoves has made great strides
towardreducingthefood-desertpopulation,
and itwon’tbe re-retiring thebusanytime
soon.Ofthenearly384,000Chicagoansstill
without access to fresh food, 124,000 are
children, such as the students at Spencer
TechnologyAcademy.
When FreshMoves pulls to a stop in
front of this elementary school, located
in the Chicago neighborhood of Austin,
communitymembers and studentswaste
notimescramblingaboard.“Ourschoolhas
asnackcounterthatsellscandyandcookies,
but itreached thepointwhereourstudents
wouldn’tshop there,”saysprincipalShawn
L.Jackson,whogothisPh.D. inAdministra-
tionandSupervisionandwhowas inspired
byFreshMovestoadoptahealthierlifestyle
andhas dropped90pounds. “Theywould
wait for thebus, andyou’d see themeating
anapple.Theparentsgotonboard, too, and
there’s a lotmore home cooking going on
now.Therehasbeenaparadigmshift.
“The students have really takenowner-
ship,”Jackson says. “This is
their
bus.This
is
their
FreshMoves.”
St.Louis–based freelancewriter
KRISTINBAIRDRATTINI
is a frequent contributor to
AmericanWay
. She’s trying
toconvinceher6-year-olddaughter that thereareother
fruits in theworldbesidesbananas andapples.
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
JUNE 01, 2013
49
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