A new initiative to bring healthy food to the residents of Chatham-Kent is ready to officially launch on Tuesday.
The Mobile Miracle Market will offer locally sourced produce boxes for residents to pick up in Wheatley and Merlin on Tuesdays, and in Thamesville, Bothwell, and Highgate on Wednesdays.
All produce boxes are free. To help keep the initiative sustainable, organizers are implementing a “get a box, give a box” campaign. Anyone who picks up a box has the option to pay it forward by donating and helping another person get a produce box.
The Mobile Miracle Market is available at the following locations and dates:
Tuesdays
-Wheatley from 10:30-11:30 at Wheatley Baptist Church -Merlin from 12:30-1:30 at the Merlin Legion
Wednesdays
-Thamesville from 9:30-10:30 at St. Paul’s Church -Bothwell from 11:00-12:00 at the Bothwell Legion -Highgate from 12:30-1:30 at the Lion’s Club
The markets are being organized by CK Prosperity Roundtable, in partnership with TekSavvy, CK Public Health, Family Service Kent, Wheatley Area Food Bank, and volunteers from the Miracle Project team.
Project coordinator for the CK Prosperity Roundtable Philip Mock previously told Blackburn News that the market initiative was inspired by the May 16th Miracle, which collected approximately 678,200 pounds of non-perishable items for food banks across Chatham-Kent.
According to Mock, the market will expand over the coming weeks to also cover Ridgetown, Blenheim, Dresden, Wallaceburg, Pain Court, Tilbury, and Chatham. Plans are also in the works to eventually reach Shrewsbury, North Buxton, and other communities across Chatham-Kent.
Organizers of the market are still looking for volunteers. Anyone interested in getting involved can visit the mobile market website or Facebook page.