Conquering the Food Desert.
Each year, the Henry Bellmon Awards selects a Project of Choice as a beneficiary of the proceeds of our efforts. Our 2014 & 2015 Project of Choice is R & G Family Grocers.
Formed in 2013 by Katie Plohocky and Scott Smith, R & G Family Grocers’ mission is to bring healthy food to Tulsa’s vast food desert. Over 80,000 Tulsans — including 25,000 children — live in food deserts, miles from a grocery, fresh produce or nutritious food. R & G Family Grocers is reaching this underserved population using a mobile grocery store, a 36-foot horse trailer that has been converted to a market on wheels, to literally bring the grocery to the desert. Hauled by a one-ton truck, R & G Family Grocers’ trailer sets up shop twice a week in a dozen locations within Tulsa’s food desert. Stocked with fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as nutritious staple goods, R & G’s mobile store provides immediate retail access to healthy food. R & G also provides nutrition education and cooking demonstrations to encourage healthy eating, all while collecting vital data on the viability of brick & mortar stores in the locations they serve. R & G Family Grocers’ innovative approach to bringing food to the desert, their ability to directly impact lives and their vision of developing brick and mortar stores to the area exemplifies the Henry Bellmon Awards’ credo of People, Profit and Planet.
View R & G Family Grocers’ schedule.
Done in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Southside Tulsa.
Katie and Scott -OK Food Security Summit from Brooke Allen on Vimeo.
