Foodlink's Curbside Market has added a new wheelchair accessible truck to its fleet. The Curbside Market visits multiple sitesthroughout the Rochester area each week in neighborhoods where people don't have easy access to healthy food.
Mitch Gruber, Foodlink's chief program officer, says unlike traditional food trucks, these vehicles are designed to welcome people on board to make their purchases.
"The goal is to actually simulate a grocery store experience. We want people to be able to touch their tomatoes, to smell their peaches, to make sure that the food they're getting is the food they want."
Gruber said his goal is to eventually phase out Foodlink's older Curbside Market trucks to make them all accessible to people with mobility issues.
“There's really no reason for all of our vehicles to not ultimately look this way. We obviously need to make sure we find the right community partners to help us create these vehicles."
The new wheelchair accessible truck that was unveiled this week was funded by the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and Citizens Bank.
Foodlink is also announcing an expansion of a federal program that will allow its customers who receive SNAP benefits to double the value of their food purchases up to $10 a day. The Fair Food Network, now available in 19 states, provides federal assistance at participating farmers markets.
