Farm Express Coming To Former Food City Parking Lot In Tempe

TEMPE, AZ — The city of Tempe is hoping that its partnership with Farm Express Mobile Market will help fill the void left by the closure of Food City on Apache Boulevard, according to a news release.

The Farm Express Mobile Market will make its first stop to the Food City parking lot at 1338 E. Apache Boulevard from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. on March 8 and will be back at the same time on March 22.

The city of Tempe bought Apache Central Center earlier this year after Food City closed. Tempe plans to bring affordable housing into the center, as well as another grocery store in the neighborhood.

The mobile market is one step toward helping to meet community needs, Tempe Mayor Corey Woods said in the news release.

“Farm Express is well known for offering mobile fresh produce shopping at different locations in Tempe and we’re excited to add another option on Apache,” Woods said in the release. “We want to create a living and shopping hub at the Apache Central Center site and while we’re planning for the future, residents can still shop in their neighborhood for fresh fruits and vegetables.”

The first 40 shoppers on March 8 will get a $5 coupon to use at the market. All shoppers who visit the market that day will get two free apples.

The market accepts cash, SNAP/EBT, debit and credit. For every dollar spent with a SNAP/EBT card, shoppers earn another dollar in Double Up Food Bucks to spend on the bus.

Farm Express is group of mobile produce markets that aims to provide healthy, affordable produce to those with little to no access to healthy food. It currently serves people in Phoenix, Tempe and other Arizona communities.

“The Farm Express mission is simple: ensure communities have access to healthy, affordable produce. We’re grateful to the City of Tempe for partnering with Farm Express to bring our markets to residents who need it most,” said Elyse Guidas, executive director of Activate Food Arizona, which operates Farm Express mobile markets.

Farm Express Mobile Market makes regular stops in Tempe every other Tuesday. There will be stops on March 8 and March 22 at:

Encore on Farmer
601 S. Farmer Ave.
9:30-10:30 a.m.

Mountain Park Health Center
1840 E. Broadway Road
11 a.m. - noon

Tempe Public Library
3500 S. Rural Road
1 – 2 p.m.

Apache Central Center
1338 E. Apache Boulevard
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.