You can find Camshelving® Premium Series in walk-ins, coolers, storage rooms and even buses! Minnesota nonprofit, The Food Group, outfitted retrofitted school buses with Camshelving to create a mobile market. Each week, their buses bring the Twin Cities Mobile Market to more than 20 locations. Within the last 6 months, more than 4,000 people shopped on the bus.
“[The mobile market] is about 30% savings off of retail, but with the buses we really bring food right to people’s doors; a lot of folks that have transportation and mobility barriers. We break down that barrier by bringing the food, so we partner with a lot of public housing facilities and a lot of seniors utilize the program too,” said Emily Eddy White, Director of Advancement and Culture for The Food Group.
Anyone can board the bus and shop for a full selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, grains and other high-quality groceries. Using Camshelving shelf dividers, shelf rails, Camwear food pans and ID tags, The Food Group is able to achieve a professional and efficient display for their groceries.
“Our team really focuses on the experience of customers and wanting to ensure the best experience possible. I think all of the components that we partnered on with Cambro really help that shopping experience and make the bus feel like you actually are shopping at a grocery store,” said White.
“The shelves are easier to adjust and clean; they also hold more produce than our previous shelving and bins. The [food pans] are more convenient and offer better presentation."
The Food Group also noticed significant differences in cleanability and fuel costs compared to the metal shelving they used previously.
“I know our staff were specifically liked the Cambro shelving because of them being lighter, so it’s more energy efficient for our buses with the shelving and they’re easy to clean for food safety purposes too,” said White.
According to non-profit Hunger Solution Minnesota, the need is higher now than at the height of the pandemic and projected 2023 to produce more than 7 million food shelf visits. White credits rising food costs, inflation in general and the end of many pandemic era food support programs for the increase in need.
The Food Group aims to bring their mobile market right to the doors of folks who need it most. Their impact is evident in the feedback they’ve received from the communities they serve.
“I take two buses to get to the grocery store. There’s nothing here in this area. We appreciate the mobile market here like you wouldn’t believe,” said one community participant.
“The Mobile Market helps me with freedom so I don’t have to wait for someone to go shopping with,” said another participant.
The Food Group is a local food equity nonprofit, focused on fighting hunger and nourishing the community. For more than 45 years, they have worked to provide good foods to those who need it most in 30 counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
