# 2024 Pottstown Mobile Market Pilot: A Case Study in Community-Centered Food Access

*The Best Route | Blog*
*Published: December 15, 2025*

The 2024 Pottstown Mobile Market Pilot — a collaboration between The Best Route and Trellis for Tomorrow — distributed 6,000+ pounds of food, employed 3 youth staff, and proved a replicable model for addressing food access barriers in underserved communities.

Introduction: A Collaborative Solution to Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is a complex challenge, often rooted less in the scarcity of food and more in barriers to access. For many communities, fresh, healthy food is just out of reach due to transportation limitations, economic constraints, and the simple distance to the nearest grocery store or farmers market. In response to this challenge, The Best Route and Trellis for Tomorrow launched the 2024 Pottstown Mobile Market Pilot — an innovative social enterprise designed to prove a model for bringing nutritious food directly to the community.

The Core Challenge: Bridging the "Last Mile" to Healthy Food

A mobile market is, in essence, a "farmers market on wheels." This model provides a direct and powerful solution to several key problems. Mobile markets are specifically designed to:

Serve communities in low food-access areas.

Bridge the "last mile" for individuals who lack physical or economic access to healthy foods.

Overcome common barriers related to transportation and vehicle access.

The Partnership

The Best Route was founded in 2023 with the vision to utilize and develop mobile markets to help make local food systems stronger, more accessible, and equitable. Its core values include dignified access to high-quality food for all people, a community and culture-driven approach, and a reputation for reliability.

Trellis for Tomorrow brought deep community roots and a focus on youth empowerment. Their involvement was driven by two goals: provide meaningful work and leadership opportunities for Trellis youth, and integrate existing Trellis programming through the market.

2024 Pilot Operations

The 2024 pilot operated on a four-day weekly schedule, serving Bright Hope Community (Wednesdays), Rolling Hills Community (Thursdays), the YMCA/YWCA Complex (Fridays), and select Saturdays at Pottstown FARM.

The sourcing network included Trellis for Tomorrow Gardens, Pottstown Area Food Collaborative partners, Lundale Farm, New Hanover Lutheran Church, and regional growers including Frecon Farm and Weavers Orchard.

Key Metrics from the 2024 Pilot Season

6,000+ pounds of food distributed

32% of produce sourced directly from Trellis and PAFC partner gardens

86 FMNP checks redeemed

36% of shoppers enrolled in the loyalty program

3 youth staff employed for a total of 238 hours

Conclusion

The 2024 Pottstown Mobile Market Pilot is more than a story about food; it is a compelling narrative about the power of strategic partnership, iterative growth, and community-centered design. The pilot effectively proved a model for addressing food access barriers while creating valuable opportunities for local youth.

Its success was the direct catalyst for the next phase of growth, leading to the launch of the My Mobile Market Farm and the My Mobile Market Kitchen in Gilbertsville, PA, in 2025.

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Source: https://www.thebestroute.org/blog/2024-pottstown-mobile-market-pilot-case-study