The Mobile Grocer- BCSGFSA project, a part of VicHealth's Partnerships for Food First program.

The BCSGFSA has four projects currently being developed, rolled out and underway and one of which being "The Mobile Grocer", project managed by Grow Lightly and the Food System Alliance team. VicHealth awarded the Alliance grant funding to undertake the four proposed projects over a 3 year period. The second hand electric van was gifted for this project by a generous donor.

The "Mobile Grocer" is an electric van that will be utilised to take locally grown Certified Organic produce and also produce grown with organic methods but uncertified, to areas in Bass Coast and South Gippsland that currently do not have easily accessibility to fresh produce. A pilot program for the vehicle is set to start this year beginning in Bass Coast.

The Grow Lightly weekly online shop (Open from 2pm Friday - 5pm Sunday, for delivery or collection the following Wednesday) and monthly Farmers' Market (2nd Saturday of each month, 8:30am-1pm at Coal Creek, Silkstone Rd, Korumburra) will continue as usual, with no negative impact to availability of local produce, so far the opposite has happened, with an increase in local growers signing up to produce supply to Grow Lightly and the Food System Alliance.

The electric van will be fitted out with roll out storage and displays so a "pop up shop" can be set up for customers within the community to shop safely from ground level.

The van will also be utilised for local events and markets.

New signage wrapping will be applied to the electric van.

It is also an objective of the project that the van can be used in a limited capacity to collect produce from growers who are not able to drop off to the Grow Lightly hub.