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Rollin' Grocer brings food to Kansas City food deserts

Posted at 2:59 PM, Aug 15, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-15 19:45:11-04

 Anytime Alexis Harrison wants to buy food, she has to travel several miles to North Kansas City.

That's where her closest grocery store is located.

To view the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Access Research Atlas,click here.

"It's very hard to get to a grocery store, especially down here," she said.

But over the last three months, grocery shopping has gotten easier. A mobile grocery store now parks right in front of her home.

"We pull up, put up the open sign to let everyone know we are here and ready for business, said Scott Phillips. "Then they come onboard, look around, do their shopping, pay for their good and go."

Phillips works on the Rollin' Grocer.

It's a full-service grocery store that's on wheels and travels around the city to 'food deserts'-- urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good quality fresh food. 

"We're a 24-foot truck with over 650 items," said Natasha Ria El-Scali, one of the business' co-owners. "The idea [was] to make something where the grocery store could really be a reflection of the community and we could carry the items people requested."

The truck is stocked each morning with fresh fruits, vegetables, frozen meats and other household products. It stops at nursing homes, churches and neighborhoods several times throughout the day.

Harrison said it's been a game-changer.

"They're very nice and helpful. They actually provide fresh fruit and vegetables and things we actually need," she said.

To see what stops the Rollin Grocer is going to, visit: http://www.rollingrocer.com/

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Ariel Rothfield can be reached at Ariel.Rothfield@KSHB.com.

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