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Little Rock City launches mobile food market to tackle food deserts
Summary
Little Rock City announced a mobile food market designed to bring fresh groceries into underserved neighborhoods, supported by community partners and nearly $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding and led by UA Little Rock and the University District Development Corporation.
Little Rock City on May 11, 2026, unveiled a new mobile food market intended to improve access to fresh groceries in neighborhoods the city describes as food deserts.
City Director Kathy Webb said the city allocated "close to a million dollars of American Rescue Plan Act money" to support the effort and credited a multi‑sector Food Commission and community partners for getting the program underway. "This is about giving people, regardless of their zip code, access to the same food that I get to have," Webb said.
Marty North Hamilton, vice chairman of the University District Development Corporation, described the market as "an innovative solution that meets people where they are," thanking partners that include UA Little Rock, Edwards Food Giant, Cash Savers, Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, the Arkansas Food Bank and Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. He said the initiative brings produce, dairy, meats and other essential groceries directly into neighborhoods and reduces barriers to healthy food.
UA Little Rock Chancellor Christine Madril said the university supports neighborhood revitalization around campus and noted that the institution and its partners will help operate the market and related services. She thanked the city, faith groups and donors for contributions that include a vehicle and a maintenance fund established by Jim and Kathy Wilkins to support the market's truck and trailer.
Webb recounted the multi‑year effort behind the market, saying the city's food desert task force — created following a 2023 review and a meeting with then‑Governor Asa Hutchinson — studied models in other cities, including Memphis, before recommending a mobile approach. She said the local effort was designed to be replicable across the state.
Organizers invited Food Commission members, university partners and volunteers to the ribbon‑cutting ceremony at the event. Kevin Shanley and other commission members were named among those on stage.
No formal vote or ordinance was recorded during the event; officials described the announcement as a funded program rollout and community celebration. The mobile market will operate in neighborhoods served through the University District Development Corporation and partner organizations; officials said more operational details and schedules will be released by program partners in coming weeks.
