August 2025 (ST. LOUIS) – Colorful trucks of fresh, affordable produce will soon roll into East St. Louis as part of a new partnership between Operation Food Search’s MetroMarket program and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN).
“We have been eager to expand MetroMarket’s reach into Illinois and are thankful to JJK FAN for giving us the perfect opportunity to make it happen,” said Kristin Wild, president and CEO of Operation Food Search.
The first scheduled stop will take place Friday, September 12 from 4-6 pm at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Community Center, 101 Jackie Joyner-Kersee Circle, East St. Louis, IL, 62204. After that, MetroMarket trucks will make stops weekly, popping up like a farmers market in nice weather and moving indoors when it gets colder.
JJK FAN will be a hands-on partner, providing nutrition education such as recipe cards at the stops to empower families to prepare meals on a budget. The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation has provided funding to sponsor the stops.
MetroMarket’s mission is to serve people who live in what are considered food deserts, which are defined as geographic areas where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food, especially fresh produce.
East St. Louis currently has only one full-service grocery store for a community of nearly 18,000 people.
“We expect to serve at least 50 East St. Louis households each week via MetroMarket, helping them access the nutritious food they need to live healthy lives,” said Wild.
About Operation Food Search
Founded in 1981, Operation Food Search is an independent hunger relief organization that provides food, nutrition education and innovative programs in order to reduce food insecurity and increase equitable access to food. We serve 200,000 people every month through a network of 330 partners in 25 counties in Missouri and Illinois. We use a combination of immediate food assistance and supportive services, while also working on long-term solutions and systemic changes to help solve the problem of hunger. For more information, call (314) 726-5355 or visit www.OperationFoodSearch.org.
Media Contacts:
Lisa Brown | Lisa.Brown@OperationFoodSearch.org | (314) 944-6159
Amanda Galloway | amanda@amandacookpr.com | (314) 598-0544
