Toronto’s FoodShare Truck is a different kind of food truck.

This one feeds the body and the soul, dishing up fresh fruits and vegetables to low-income families living in healthy food “deserts.”   The Toronto Foodshare Truck is part of the Mobile Good Food Market initiative, a Toronto Public Health (TPH) project. The TPH Food Strategy department worked with United Way Toronto, University of Toronto and FoodShare to hatch this savvy initiative.

The not-for-profit truck visits areas where senior citizens, single-parent families, and low-income communities don’t have access to fresh produce because they live too far away from grocery stores. Bringing healthy food to them works to improve nutrition and avoid obesity, as well as the numerous chronic health problems associated with a poor diet.

How does it all come together?  The retrofitted truck is a former Wheel-Trans bus donated by the Toronto Transit Commission, and a group of volunteers called Community Good Leaders devote their time to helping with operations.  In addition to the truck, FoodShare helps organize community gardens, nutrition workshops for kids, composting programs, healthy lunch programs and the super-cool bicycle blender program – a fleet of bike-powered blenders churning out smoothies.

Toronto the Good, indeed.

To find out more or to volunteer, visit FoodShare.