Foodlink Curbside Market truck brings fresh produce to campus

Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and select grocery items will be offered for sale at affordable prices as Foodlink brings its Curbside Market truck to the RIT campus.

The truck will be parked outside the SHED atrium from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10. Items may be purchased by anyone with cash, a credit card, or an EBT card.

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Foodlink

Foodlink’s Curbside Market truck will visit RIT Oct. 10, offering fresh produce, milk, and eggs at reduced prices.

This is the first visit to RIT for the truck, and it is made possible by RIT Dining and RIT’s FoodShare program, which was established in 2015 to help reduce food waste on campus and to provide RIT community members access to safe and nutritious food. More than 37,000 visits were made to the FoodShare office at 113 Riverknoll in its first nine years, providing access to nutritious food for almost 1,000 unique community members each year.

While many of FoodShare’s offerings are free canned goods or non-perishable grocery items, in 2023 FoodShare distributed 7,000 pounds of fresh produce that was donated by Flower City Pickers, who work with vendors at Rochester’s Public Market and Lori’s Natural Foods. Deliveries of produce are made once a week, or in some cases, once every two weeks. The variety of what the vendor donates varies depending on availability and season. The donations are often gone the same day they are delivered.

“Users of FoodShare have been asking for access to more fresh produce,” said Sinclaire Ogof, FoodShare coordinator.

Having Foodlink’s truck visit will allow visitors more chances to purchase fresh produce and other grocery items such as milk, bread, and eggs, at lower costs than stores offer, without having to leave campus.

Ogof hopes another visit from the truck will be arranged in the spring, with the goal of creating innovative points of access to wholesome food that fuels student success and well-being.