High Point Nonprofit Rolls Out Mobile Grocery Store To Serve Those In Food Deserts

A High Point nonprofit is rolling out a new grocery store on wheels. Its goal is to provide food deserts with access to fresh produce.

It's called Growdega, a play on the Spanish word bodega, meaning a small convenience store in an urban area.

The mobile market is an initiative of the nonprofit Growing High Point, which seeks to transform under-resourced neighborhoods. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, Growdega will offer dairy products, rice, beans, flour, sugar, and more.

Patrick Harman is the board chair for Growing High Point. He says the need is twofold.

“There's healthy food access and then there's affordability. We're trying to work both those angles with the mobile grocery store,” he says.

Harman says Growdega will operate Monday through Friday and will initially focus on nine stops around High Point. He hopes the initiative will expand to Saturdays in the future. March 1 will be its first day in operation.