Farmers Rising pitches $822,000 mobile grocery plan to bring fresh food to Rockford neighborhoods

"The Rockford Mobile Grocery Store is a partnership between Farmers Rising and City Center Market," Jackie Deatista told the committee, describing a grocery-on-wheels model that would sell fresh produce, dairy, lean meats and other essentials directly in neighborhoods with limited access. "It's not a food pantry," she added, saying the model preserves choice and dignity while creating market opportunities for local farmers.

Deatista said Farmers Rising would administer the program and City Center Market would supply and stock the vehicle. The proposal in the planning packet lists a funding request of $822,000 from 2025–2026 casino funds; the packet described the initiative as intended to align with the city's policy on food insecurity and expand healthy, affordable food access.

Committee members asked about operations, pricing and partnership roles; staff described the project as a public–private partnership with subsidies to keep prices affordable. No final council-wide appropriation was recorded in this transcript excerpt; the item was presented to the Planning & Development committee for consideration.