Traveling market employs homeless, provides fresh food

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (WPVI) -- Philabundance estimates that every year three quarters of a million people in the Delaware Valley worry about where they will get their next meal.

Chester County has a new program to drive hunger from the community, and it works in more ways than one.

It's called The Nourish Mobile and it's a traveling market stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables - much of it locally grown and organic.

The truck is staffed by homeless men from Phoenixville's Good Samaritan homeless shelter.

Keith Misner is the business manager for Nourish Mobile Market, and he explains, "We're trying to give them a hand up and get them back on to independent living. We pay almost double minimum wage."

The starting salary is $12/hour.

The Nourish Mobile just launched in late September, helping the men not only earn a living but learn life and job skills.

Moreh White, and employee of Nourish Mobile Market, tells us, "I've never been a part of a company that began from the ground up."

And another employee, Jon Termini, says, "Learning about management and inventory and pricing and there's so much that goes into it so it's a great resume builder too."

The truck travels to senior centers, under served neighborhoods and the Phoenixville YMCA.

The YMCA has an organic garden onsite and donates all of the bounty to their neighbors in need.

Michelle Ferretti, Senior Program Director at the Phoenixville YMCA, says, "We allow Nourish to go into our gardens and harvest right from the gardens and bring it right on their truck so you don't get much fresher than that."

And then there's the Nourish Mobile's Pay it Forward jar that allows customers to drop in change or a donation to help out the next person.

Misner explains, "If someone comes to us and they can't afford to buy food, we have money to help them buy fresh, healthy food."

Termini says, "My favorite part about this job is not having income. It's the fact that we are helping the community and we are helping others and we are giving back."

And all of the proceeds from the truck go to the homeless shelter.

To find out more ways that you can connect, share, and give this holiday season, visit our 6abc/Dunkin Donuts Holiday Food Drive page.