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Little Rock officials highlight mobile grocery and $1M ARPA funding to tackle food deserts
Summary
Director Cathy Webb and Food Commission chair Kevin Shalin told the Planning Commission the city has set aside $1 million in ARPA funds and will roll out a newly arrived mobile grocery to serve neighborhoods more than a mile from full-service stores.
Cathy Webb, a city director involved in food-access work, told the Little Rock Planning Commission on Dec. 11 that the city has allocated $1,000,000 in ARPA funds to address food deserts and will soon deploy a newly arrived mobile grocery to neighborhoods without convenient access to fresh produce. Webb said a state law passed in 2025 authorizes funding programs to help grocers but that those programs are still awaiting funding.
Kevin Shalin, chair of the city’s food commission, outlined coalition efforts over 2025, saying the commission has worked with the Little Rock School District and state and federal representatives on student meal debt and SNAP policy. Shalin said the commission helped address an estimated $175,000 in school meal debt by raising about $50,000 and has met with state legislators and education officials to pursue systemic fixes.
Shalin described the mobile grocery, which he said “has arrived in Little Rock” and will be taken to neighborhoods without grocery stores to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables. He asked the commission and the public to watch for outreach materials and said the commission will support neighborhood projects, including a planned grocery with an urban garden.
Webb and Shalin said additional details and application information will be available through the city’s website, and Webb said she is available to meet with community members to discuss the city’s food-desert work.
The presentation was informational; there was no commission action associated with the report at the meeting. The commission did not vote on funding at the session but heard the timeline for rolling out the mobile grocery and encouraged community outreach and partnership.
