Black Soil KY asks Lexington council to partner on Sprout Mobile pharmacy market and $5 voucher program

Ashley Smith of Black Soil KY asked the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council on Jan. 27 to formally partner with the nonprofit’s Sprout Mobile Pharmacy Market and to help distribute $5 vouchers to 1,000 Lexington residents.

Smith described Black Soil KY as a 501(c)(3) agribusiness that runs neighborhood pharmacy markets and a rolling mobile market that served nearly 2,000 families across almost 60 missions last year. She said neighborhood pharmacy locations served about 5,000 families with average purchases under $40, and that the organization distributed roughly 880 $5 vouchers in partnership with Fayette County Public School family resource coordinators in 2025.

"We're seeking an opportunity to expand the current mobile market recognition to include Black Soil KY and God's Pantry," Smith told the council, "and secondly, we're seeking to serve 1,000 Lexingtonians via $5 vouchers across our Sprout missions directed through council member budgets and neighborhood development funds." (Ashley Smith)

Council members voiced broad support for the program and asked operational and procurement questions. Council member James Brown asked which Lexington Housing Authority sites the mobile market will visit this year; Smith listed several properties on the organization’s schedule and said a full calendar was provided to council offices. Vice Mayor Wu and others asked how the $5 vouchers have been funded; Smith said the vouchers come from a mix of private philanthropy, unrestricted grants and revenue reinvested from the organization’s operations.

Michael Cravens, asked about procurement options, said the city has previously used a public-service agreement (PSA) for the mobile market and that any city participation would likely be done through a PSA or an amendment to an existing PSA, but noted procurement would need to confirm how it was handled previously.

Council discussion did not produce a vote or formal commitment; several members said they would follow up with procurement and staff to determine whether the city can partner without issuing a competitive RFP and whether council budgets or neighborhood development funds could route vouchers to the program. The council took no formal action at the meeting.

Next steps: city procurement staff will review how the mobile market was handled previously and report back; council members signaled willingness to consider directing council budgets or neighborhood development funds to support voucher distribution.