General Information 

Mobile Market 

Donor Information

Glossary

General Information

1. When and why was the People's Grocery founded?

People's Grocery was founded in 2002 by three residents who were disturbed by the lack of access to healthy food and its impacts on local health and quality of life in West Oakland. In an effort to promote healthy local foods and urban agriculture, the founders created People's Grocery as a model that integrates education, sustainable agriculture and the development of local food businesses. In addition to contributing to community health and awareness, the organization aimed to create training and employment opportunities for youth and adults in the community, and to support a new vision for economic development based on principles of sustainability, health and self-reliance.

2. How did People's Grocery get started?

The idea for People's Grocery was born out of a working relationship with Willow Rosenthal, who was developing a community garden at the corner of 16th St. & Center St. in West Oakland. Willow went on to create City Slicker Farms while People's Grocery began its own garden on 55th St. in partnership with the North Oakland Land Trust. Expanding from gardening into education and outreach, People's Grocery launched the Collards & Commerce Youth Program which employed eight youth for the summer of 2003 in a program of urban gardening, community outreach, business classes and cooking and nutrition workshops. In August of 2003 the founders and their first crew of youth launched what has become the flagship enterprise of the organization: the Mobile Market, a grocery store on wheels that sells fresh produce, packaged foods and bulk foods at affordable prices. Though we started small, we are continually growing and now boast a 2-acre farm plot in Sunol, various youth and adult outreach programs, weekly cooking classes and more ideas in the making!

3. What programs does People's Grocery currently offer to the West Oakland community?

People's Grocery is currently running a West Oakland Greenhouse at 936 Brockhurst, two urban gardens in Oakland and a 3.5 acre farm in Sunol. Many low-income residents of urban areas, such as West Oakland, do not even have access to sufficient fresh foods. People's Grocery is working to increase, grow, and produce food through a network of gardens and micro-farms.

We have a weekly produce box called the People’s Grub Box. It is full of organic, local and seasonal fruits and vegetables from our farm and gardens and other nearby farms.  (Click here for more info.)

Each month, we have a People’s Grub Party, a community event featuring a guest chef demonstrating a healthy recipe, a nutrition presentation by our Peer-to-Peer youth, guest DJ’s, poets and art. Everyone gets to sample the food and take home produce from our gardens and farm. It’s free and open to people of all ages. Check our calendar for the next Grub Party.

Finally, People's Grocery provides a wide variety of programs for youth and adults in the community. We offer a Peer 2 Peer Youth Program which delivers interactive peer workshops about nutrition, fast food, obesity, gardening, organic farming, and more. We also offer free cooking classes to promote fundamental cooking knowledge and healthy ingredient selection.

4. What are the future goals of People's Grocery?

Initially, the goal of the founders was to create a worker-owned community grocery store and wellness center in which local food and agriculture is prioritized in a personal and community health model. Acknowledging that the realization of this vision required experience, knowledge and resources, the founders adopted an incremental growth strategy focused on building capacity, infrastructure, expertise, brand visibility, a loyal and informed client base, urban agricultural activities, and educational programs.

All of these efforts have laid the groundwork for the next stage of growth for People's Grocery and has positioned the organization to begin the pursuit of its original and primary goal. While People's Grocery continues to run its existing programs in the community, the organization is now redirecting much of its efforts towards the development of a grocery store and hopes to launch this enterprise in the near future.

5. Who can volunteer? How and when?

Anyone and everyone! Garden workdays are Wednesdays 3-5pm at our 55^th St. Garden and Fridays from 10am-12noon at our 59^th St. Garden. Our Farm Team welcomes volunteers who want to come to the farm during the week and has special Farm Workdays on the weekend once a month. There are also opportunities to volunteer in the office and to work on special projects as needed by the organization. Check our calendar for current volunteer opportunities or click the blue "Participate" in the upper right hand corner.

6. How can I donate? Is my donation tax-deductible?

You can easily make a donation online with your credit card on our secure website. Click on the blue top right hand button "Participate: Give/Act/Shop" to make a donation.

You can also send a check payable to People’s Grocery, 3236 Market St., #103, Oakland, CA 94608

All donations are tax-deductible.

Or you can buy some cool People’s Grocery Gear from us and promote our logo and our programs all at the same time. Click on the blue top right hand button "Participate: Give/Act/Shop" and click the link that says "Gear Shop"

7. How else can I support the food justice movement that People's Grocery promotes?

The best way to support our work and the work of other food justice organizations is to help increase awareness about the issues we strive to address. Believe or not, there are still many people who are unaware of the challenges that low-income communities face in getting access to healthy foods. Inform your family and friends about the work People's Grocery is doing and send them to our web page. You can also encourage them to volunteer with us or to shop with us. And finally, whether it's with People's Grocery or another business, encourage your friends and family to buy local foods, support local farmers and patronize local businesses.

8. Does People's Grocery offer programs for school groups?

We host many school groups, as well as neighborhood, church, and other youth groups, at our gardens and offer them the opportunity to participate in workdays and workshops. We also offer Peer-to-Peer workshops and presentations to school groups focused on healthy eating and nutrition. These workshops are presented by our own peer education youth staff and are customized to the appropriate age groups. To arrange a visit to our gardens for your class or to schedule a peer presentation, please contact Diana Abellera, Community Education Director, at Diana@peoplesgrocery.org.

9. Where can I go to get more information on food justice?

Our Links Page has many links to great food justice organizations and resources.

The Mobile Market

We have been contacted by over 75 organizations throughout the country who have expressed an interest in starting a Mobile Market of their own in their community. This FAQ section has been created specifically to answer the questions of people and organizations who may be considering this type of a venture.

Note: The Mobile Market is currently on hiatus and will remain on hiatus for some time. Please see #17 below for an explanation for the hiatus and what is happening next.

Ideological:

1. Why did you start the Mobile Market and why did you choose this model over others?

The Mobile Market was founded in 2002 by three West Oakland residents who were disturbed by the lack of access to healthy food and its impacts on local health and quality of life. Aiming for food justice, our founders experimented with the idea of a mobile market, a small health-food store on wheels that would drive around the community an offer nutritious food to all of West Oakland's residents, regardless of income level or mobility. Inspired by early twentieth century farm delivery trucks, which functioned as traditional general stores on wheels and marketed to the distant farmers of the Midwest and South, we bought an old postal service truck and began to build.

West Oakland's health crisis grows from the fact that there is only one grocery store in the community and most residents prefer not to spend the time and money on transportation to get there. Recognizing this transportation issue, we chose the model of the Mobile Market over more stationary options such as a farmers' market, produce stand or a CSA. Hoping to one day build a viable grocery store and health complex, the Mobile Market also functions as good practice for this future endeavor, as we build relationships with producers and funders and begin to get a feel for the operations involved in building and maintaining a grocery store.

Additionally, the Mobile Market helped to popularize our image and promote outreach in the community by making People's Grocery a visible presence. Since its birth in 2002, the Mobile Market has been able to grow and change with our organization and clientele. At the request of our customers, who conveyed that it was difficult to find us despite our regular schedule, we have made the market more stationary, parking it at a central park in the community. Our product lines have slowly molded to the preferences of our customers as well. It has been a learning process!

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Mobile Market?

Some of the strengths of this model include:

• Educates a lot of people about healthy eating and food justice
• Distributes fresh produce and healthy food to local people
• Builds a base of members and shoppers in the community
• Provides jobs and training for over a dozen people
• Brings attention and awareness to West Oakland's food justice problem
• Helps build the People's Grocery's unique story and niche
• Helps People's Grocery learn about running a business

Some of the weaknesses of this model include:

• Limited Space: Even though the Mobile Market offers over 200 products on its shelves, it is a very small space and not capable of offering enough products to meet the needs of the community. Nonetheless, the Mobile Market has been able to provide basic food items to help supplement people's food purchasing.
• Poor Financial Performance: The Mobile Market is not financially viable as the space and product offering is too limited to realize the sales needed to break even. The market requires about 60% of its costs to be underwritten by outside funding each year to keep it running. We chose to subsidize the model because the strengths outweighed the weaknesses.
• Time Intensive: Even though the Mobile Market is a small enterprise, it is a time and energy intensive endeavor. We employ one part time manager who devotes all of his energy to this program and utilizes the assistance of many interns and other staff members.

3. What problems have you encountered?

• Limited space and product selection.
• Challenges in offering a desired product selection.
• Engaging customers in purchasing new types of foods.
• Low-skilled workers with limited know-how.
• Limited management know-how.
• High overhead in relation to revenues.
• Mechanical and technical problems.
• Limited marketing and outreach budgets.

4. Has there been any research done on this project model?

To our knowledge there are currently two other Mobile Markets that are now up and running in Philadelphia and Baltimore based on our model. There also two groups that will soon launch their own Mobile Markets, one in Troy, NY and one in Buffalo, NY. We do not know if these organizations have documented their research about the Mobile Market, but we have shared information with them in the past that they may have compiled into a shareable format. These organizations are:

• Urban Nutrition Initiative in Philadelphia, PA

• Youth Organizing Urban Revitalization Systems in Baltimore, MD

• Capital District Community Gardens in Troy, NY

• Massachusetts Avenue Project in Buffalo, NY

Practical:

5. How did you build the Mobile Market?

With seed funding from the Rudolph Steiner Foundation and an individual donor we bought an old postal service truck for $3,000 and then spent an additional $12,000 (with lots of help from generous volunteers and donors) to fix, paint and remodel the truck. This remodeling involved the skilled assistance of many architects, welders, mechanics, carpenters, artists and technicians who built shelving, an entry ramp, an awning, extra windows, an 850 watt sound system and refrigeration. We also installed solar panels for electricity and biodiesel for fuel. The whole project required a lot of creative thinking, trouble shooting and wonderful volunteers and donations.

6. What does your Mobile Market look like? What products do you carry?

Our mobile market is an old postal truck. It looks like a boxy Fed-Ex truck, except much more exciting! We painted it orange and purple (our colors) and a local artist added our logo, website and some familiar phrases like “Food Justice!” and “Healthy Food for Everyone!”. On the inside, the truck has one narrow aisle flanked by shelving from floor to ceiling (which is just high enough to stand under).

We carry fresh produce a) our own and local farmers', purchased at farmers' markets the day we sell it b) refrigerated items, bulk goods, general groceries and natural body care items. The produce is always seasonal, so we have a great summer menu. Refrigerated items include cheese, cold drinks (juices and organic sodas), tofu and tempeh, yogurt and hummus. We installed 12 bulk bins that offer foods like organic granola, grains and beans. We have canned goods, oils and dressings, non-dairy milks, pastas and sauces as well as healthy snacks, from fruit leather and trail mix to natural chips. We also carry some sweets, like organic cookies.

7. Which items sell best?

About 65% of our sales come from our packaged and bulk items. We make the greatest revenue form on our packaged items as well as there is little to no mark up on the produce. Therefore, the sale of packaged and bulk items is essential to our business.

We conducted a survey in 2003 before we launched the Mobile Market to determine the types of products consumers desired, the prices they were willing to pay, what locations and times they wanted the truck to stop, etc. We also conduct an annual membership survey focused on customer service and product quality so that we can continue to offer our community the products it desires to purchase.

8. What criteria do you use in selecting sites to visit? Do you need a permit for the sites?

When we first started the Mobile Market we had 8 stops. We later reduced it to four. Now, at the request of our customers, we have stopped traveling to multiple sites each day and are posted at the central and accessible location of DeFermery Park. We chose this location because it is on a major street with a lot of traffic and at an intersection where there is a park, library and senior center and a middle school just down the street. It is a good location where there are a lot of activities happening and where alto of children, families and seniors are passing through. We would suggest that you evaluate your targeted community and experiment with both the mobile and stationary model to see which is appropriate for you.

9. Where do your products come from? How did you find these distributors?

Most of our packaged and bulk food products come from United Natural Foods, one of the largest natural food distributors in the country. The company offers us a discounted, below wholesale price on all of the products we order. Additionally, independent manufacturers periodically donate or offer us discounted products, which we then sell on the truck or distribute free of charge to local residents.

Our produce comes both from our own gardens and those of local organic farmers. On average, 30% of the produce we sell is harvested from one of our three urban gardens. The remainder of the produce that we sell on the truck is bought at farmers' markets on the same day that we sell it to our customers. We have developed great and productive relationships with many local, organic farmers through this practice.

10. Where do you store dry goods and fresh produce when the truck is not at a neighborhood site?

We have a small 18 foot trailer that we have converted into a warehouse where we store all of our dry goods. We have a refrigerated truck next to the warehouse where we store produce and refrigerated items.

11. What is the price system on the truck like?

Every item on the truck is marked with two prices -- one regular price, which is about 20% above the wholesale price and one member price, which is 7% above the wholesale price. This system allows us to offer low prices to our customers while also taking a small mark-up to help subsidize the business. To receive member benefits, which also includes access to free services such as weekly cooking classes and a free backyard garden, you must be a West Oakland resident and make a $5-$25 donation to People's Grocery once a year.

12. How do you staff the truck?

Employing and training local residents, especially youth, has been a central goal of the Mobile Market. We have one part-time staff person who functions as the Mobile Market Manager and devotes all of his time to the operation of the truck. This includes ordering products, buying at farmers markets, stocking and pricing the truck and staffing it during sales times. The manager receives assistance on many of these activities from paid youth staff members and there are always two staff members present during our sale times.

Financial:

13. How did you find funding to start the Mobile Market and how do you sustain it?

We received seed funding from the Rudolph Steiner Foundation and from an individual donor who believed in our vision. We are constantly raising money to subsidize 60% of the operation costs every year. Most of this funding comes from individual donors, with a smaller amount coming from foundations. A few food businesses have also contributed funding. It has not been easy to get funding from foundations for the Mobile Market, mainly because many foundations do not fund social enterprises or direct services.

14. How much does it cost to run the Mobile Market?

After buying the truck for $3,000, we spent about $12,000 more to convert it into the market that we had envisioned, complete with solar panels, shelving, paint and logos. To maintain the Mobile Market's operations, we must purchase the products, pay for biodiesel gas and maintenance of the vehicle, and pay our staff. This amounts to approximately $7,500 per month. The Mobile Market only makes about $1,800 per month, so the remainder of the costs is subsidized by outside funding.

Community Outreach:

15. How many people do you serve with the Mobile Market?

The Mobile Market has over 400 members who shop with us at varying rates of frequency and comprise about 90% of our clientele. On average, we serve between 30 and 50 customers per day in a four hour day of business. Over the course of the year we serve about 3,500 people.

16. How do you promote and perform outreach for the Mobile Market?

The Mobile Market promotes itself quite effectively by driving through the neighborhoods and drawing attention with its bright colors, logos and sound system. In the beginning, we utilized existing networks, poster campaigns, event tabling, phone banking and local advertising to inform residents about the purple and orange truck that they saw bumping through their neighborhoods. Word-of-mouth has also been an important form of advertising for us.

Additionally, we often bring the Mobile Market to community events and offer tours, membership applications and sometimes taste tests! Otherwise, articles in local magazines and newspapers in addition to a thriving website have kept the Mobile Market's profile high.

Into the Future . . .

17. What is the future of the Mobile Market?

The Mobile Market has grown and changed with our organization and community through the years. We are currently in the process of redesigning the market to create a more efficient and effective model. For this reason, the Mobile Market is currently on hiatus, but will be brought back onto the streets in the near future. With our hope and intention to build a grocery store, the Mobile Market faces a future transition as it will be incorporated as an outreach tool into that future vision.

18. What advice would you offer a prospective Mobile Market protégé?

In developing your own Mobile Market, it is important to be articulate and realistic about your goals for the project and be aware that financial success is unlikely. While the Mobile Market model has many positive and worthwhile attributes, it will not make lots of money. Be prepared to subsidize the project continually and recruit funders who are willing to support the project even as it loses money.

Another important piece of advice is to establish goals beyond the Mobile Market. While the Mobile Market is an effective tool for addressing food security in a community, it should be treated as an incremental step towards a larger, long-term goal. For us, the Mobile Market has always been a stepping stone towards a grocery store.

Donor Information

1. How do I donate to People's Grocery?

You can donate right now online! Click the blue top right hand button "Participate-Give, Act, Shop" to go to our secure website.

You can also send a check payable to People’s Grocery, 3236 Market St., #103, Oakland CA 94608.

2. Who do I contact regarding grants or stock donations?

Please contact Brahm@peoplesgrocery.org, or call People's Grocery at (510)-652-7607.

3. Is there a minimum donation?

Absolutely not. No contribution is too small and we are grateful for whatever contribution you are comfortable making.

4. Where will my money go?

Your money will go towards the operating costs of our organization, towards the costs of our programs or towards special projects such as farm expansion and grocery store development. If you donate online you can indicate in the comment section what you want your donation to support. If you sending a check you can include a note about you want your donation to support. We can also arrange for donations to be made in someone's honor.

How does People's Grocery receive funding? What is the fundraising strategy?

About 60% of our funding comes from grants, and about 27% of our funding comes from individual donations. The last 15% or so comes from grocery sales, t-shirt sales, honoraria, and membership fees. Our programs would not be able to survive without outside funding and your generous donations.

5. What is the annual budget for People's Grocery? What is the breakdown of expenses?

Our annual budget for 2007-2008 is approximately $478,000. About 50% of our funding goes towards education, 25% towards micro-enterprise development and 15 % towards our urban agriculture programs. The other 10% goes towards funding and administration costs.

6. What is the fiscal year for People's Grocery?

Our fiscal year is from June 1 - May 31.

Glossary

1. What is food justice?

Food justice means providing access to good for all people, regardless of social or economic constraints. It means putting control of food production into the hands of the people who are eating it thus creating local jobs and small businesses centered around food production and sale. It also means understanding the deeper systemic problems that that cause the current food system to leave poor people underserved.

2. What is food security?

The Community Food Security Coalition defines food security as a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.

3. What is a community food system?

A food system refers to the entire process of food production, distribution, and consumption. In most food systems in the United States, there is a disconnect between consumption and production in which consumers cannot clearly see or understand where their food comes from. A community food system means producing healthy food locally and distributing, marketing, and consuming that food locally. It allows farmers and their customers to develop relationships that enhance food security for both parties by cutting out the middle man.

To People's Grocery, a community food system means:

3. • Producing healthy food locally in a way that reduces harm to the environment
   • Distributing, marketing and consuming that food locally
   • Putting control of food production into the hands of the people who are eating it
   • Providing access to food for all people, regardless of social or economic constraints
   • Educating the community about food and nutrition
   • Creating local jobs and small businesses and multiplying the effect of every dollar spent locally on food

When we change the way food is produced and change the minds of the people who eat it, we have the power to change a whole community.

4. What is grocery store redlining?

Grocery store redlining is the preferential placement of grocery stores in wealthy neighborhoods, where potential profits are greatest. Due to this selective practice, West Oakland residents must choose between one culturally inappropriate grocery store and forty liquor stores for their food needs. A community-mapping project of West Oakland's food assets and resources in 2000 uncovered many aspects of West Oakland's food insecurity. In addition to a lack of grocery facilities, the study found that food prices at these convenience stores ranged between 30%-100% higher than average prices in supermarkets and that only 3 of the stores offered a suitable selection of fresh fruits and vegetables (Farfan-Ramirez, 2000).

5. What is Urban Agriculture?

Urban Agriculture is, simply put, the process of growing food in cities and in urban areas for consumption by the local population. With 80% of the world's population now living in cities and 90% of global consumption and pollution derived from cities, urban areas are increasingly important places in developing ecologically sustainable food systems. Urban agriculture is an effort to increase the capacity of local communities to grow food to meet their food needs, engage in enterprise activities and reduce our ecological footprint.

6. Why eat local?

By eating local we mean seeking out and consuming foods that are grown in your local area. Eating improves your health, provides great tasting and fresh foods, supports the local economy and supports local farmers. For more information on eating local visit: “www.Locavores.com”.

Do you have more questions, want to interview us, etc.?

As a community based organization serving the needs of the West Oakland community, we are committed to addressing food justice and nutrition concerns within West Oakland and directing our work to benefit those who live here.  We often get requests for observations, interviews, assistance in starting similar programs, etc.  As much as we would like to help everyone and accommodate each request, our priorities must lie within our programs and with the youth as we have limited resources and staffing.  In order to best serve both parties, we request that you offer reciprocal support in exchange for our time.

To schedule a People’s Grocery staff person for a presentation:

Our funding is limited to delivering presentations in the West Oakland, but we will consider a request outside of West Oakland depending on staff availability and audience.  People’s Grocery’s process honors staff time and as such we ask that the organization requesting a presentation covers travel costs and honoraria for the speaker’s time.  Honoraria range from $25 - $100, depending on the length of presentation, distance traveled, and staff’s level of experience.  Payment will be worked out directly with the staff person available, and checks should be made directly in the speaker’s name. 

Please send an e-mail to Diana@peoplesgrocery.org with the following information:

• Your name and organization
• Location
• Requested date and time
• Audience size and demographics
• Topic you would like a People’s Grocery representative to speak to

We will ask appropriate staff if they are interested in presenting and get back to you within one week.

To learn more about People's Grocery:

1) The best opportunity would be to come to an urban agriculture workday, and staff would be happy to answer any questions in exchange for your help.  Farm, greenhouse, and garden workdays are regularly held each week.  Please check out our volunteer webpage at http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/staticpages/index.php/volunteer1 for details and contact information.