A Market on the Move

As part of Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County’s (CAP) Food Justice programming, Rolling Roots Market is a mobile farmers’ market making quality, local produce accessible for all.

“A farmers’ market is really fun to begin with. Think of Central Market. It’s such a cool space,” said Amanda Frankeny, Director of Food Justice at CAP. “Creating a farmer’s market on a miniature scale for folks who may lack access to the farmer’s market experience was super cool.”

Through hunger mapping—or the process of uncovering gaps in food access—CAP identified areas across Lancaster County that lacked easy access to nutritious food. In some cases, drive time to the nearest grocery store was too high for folks struggling to pay for gas, or a family’s income may have been too high to qualify for supplementary assistance, but too low to afford local food prices. In its pilot year, Rolling Roots Market hosted farmers’ markets in places with the highest barriers, including Lancaster City and New Holland.

“Lancaster is incredibly lush with agricultural produce all over the place. We really wanted to connect sustainability and agriculture with this food access work that we already did,” Amanda said. “There are no income guidelines. Anyone can join the market in a way that’s incredibly inclusive.”

Rolling Roots Market is modeled after an open-air farmers market, designed to attract people walking nearby. In addition to an abundant selection of locally-grown produce, market volunteers created a children’s corner with trivia cards, stickers, and coloring pages in hopes of making families feel comfortable stopping by. As the markets became a regular occurrence, a pay-it-forward model emerged organically.

“People just kept paying for their neighbor because we said it contributes directly back to your community,” Amanda recalled. “Folks would walk up and say, ‘I can’t get my paystub until next week. I can’t afford this stuff.’ We always could yell out, ‘Hey, your neighbor already covered for you!’ It became like this truly community-based program.”

Thanks to the community’s endowment, a $50,000 Lancaster Thrives Together grant from the Community Foundation was able to sponsor the purchase of a refrigerated van to support Rolling Roots Market. The addition of a van eases the organization’s logistical burden, prioritizes food safety, and makes it possible for Rolling Roots to host up to four markets each week in various parts of the county.

Leveraging the abundance of local agriculture as an investment in improving systemic food security, Rolling Roots Market sources its produce from farmers across Lancaster County. While they discount the produce for neighbors, Rolling Roots makes it a priority to cover production and labor costs required to plant, grow, and harvest.

“Farmers are struggling in the same way that a lot of people who utilize our services are struggling,” Amanda shared. “To make Rolling Roots Market truly community-focused, we also have to look at the farmer.”

From an environmental standpoint, Rolling Roots adheres to a zero-waste policy. Any produce left over at the end of a market day is distributed to local food pantries or returned to the farmer for composting.

“While free food is a very important part of the charitable food network, this allows for another type of experience,” Amanda said. “We are able to brag that local farmers provided the food, and offering food at a low cost preserves dignity while reinforcing a shared sense of community, where everyone contributes in their own way.”