Moline Elementary School Tackles Food Deserts In North STL County

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, MO — Riverview Gardens School District in north St. Louis County is partnering with the St. Louis Metro Market bus to bring fresh, locally grown produce to students and their families just in time for Thanksgiving, according to a news release.

The transformed city bus/grocery store on wheels will stop by Moline Elementary School on Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4, to give hundreds of students, parents and staff the opportunity to stock up on fresh foods for the holidays, officials said.

Moline Elementary School is located in what the American Nutrition Association calls a "food desert," areas of the country located more than a mile from the nearest supermarket. For anyone without a car or reliable transportation, that can make getting fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthy foods almost impossible.

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"To make matters worse, the Mayfair Plaza Shop 'n Save, which is the nearest grocery store to the school, is closing this month," said district communications director Anthony Kiekow.

He said that next year the bus will stop by the school every Friday between May and November.

The partnership is funded by a Healthy Schools Healthy Communities grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health.

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