Ribbon cutting ceremony for mobile market. — City, community and Live HealthSmart leaders cut the ribbon on the new Mobile Market on Wednesday, June 28. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

The newest Mobile Market has hit the streets, furthering a UAB initiative to provide fresh, affordable food to Birmingham neighborhoods.

The grocery-store-on-wheels is a project of Live HealthSmart Alabama, an initiative “leading a transformational movement to decrease the incidence of chronic disease in Alabama and eliminate barriers to making good health simple,” according to its website.

The Mobile Market launched in 2021 as part of an effort to improve quality of life and health in the Kingston neighborhood.

Now, five years later, there are two Mobile Markets that travel throughout metro Birmingham to provide fresh, affordable produce in food deserts.

Live HealthSmart gathered with city and community partners Tuesday, Jan. 27 at Memorial Park in Titusville to celebrate the ribbon cutting of a brand new Mobile Market.

The new Mobile Market is “designed to enhance the shopping experience” with expanded features such as:

More shelf space
Doubled refrigerator and freezer capacity
A motorized lift to improve accessibility for wheelchair users

Since 2021, just one Mobile Market has:

Served more than 17,000 people
Been in around 40 neighborhoods in Birmingham
Connected people with more than 100,000 items of nutritious food

The markets accepts cash, credit, debit and EBT.

What is Live HealthSmart?

Colorful produce displayed on shelves — A large portion of the Mobile Market’s offerings is fresh produce. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

The initiative began all the way back in 2018 with the “UAB Grand Challenge,” which has a goal of improving sustainability in Birmingham. The winning entry was Live HealthSmart by Monda Fouad, who was the director of the UAB Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center.

“We can’t just tell people to eat healthy if they can’t access or afford healthy food.”
Monda Fouad, Live HealthSmart CEO

Today, Fouad is the CEO of Live HealthSmart Alabama.

The program doesn’t just run the Mobile Market. It also:

Established mobile + pop-up wellness screenings
Created walking clubs
Installed murals from local artists in UAB stairwells to encourage taking the stairs
Provided educational resources for physical activity + healthy lifestyles

Where can I find the Mobile Market?

People interacting in a mobile setting. — A community member checks out at the Mobile Market. (Mary Helene Hall / Bham Now)

The Mobile Market makes stops all around the metro Birmingham area almost daily.

Upcoming stops include:

Thursday, Jan. 29 @ 2PM: UAB Campus (Corner of 16th Street So & University Blvd)
Friday, Jan. 30 @ 9:30AM: Central Health Center (1400 7th Ave North)
Monday, Feb. 2 @ 1:30PM: Freedom Manor (1631 5th Ave North)
Tuesday, Feb. 3 @ 10:30AM: Springs Gardens (201 Spring Gardens Road)
Tuesday, Feb. 3 @ 2:30PM: Smithfield Court (150 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd)
Wednesday, Feb. 4 @ 10:30AM: Kingston Rec Center (4600 8th Ct North)
Wednesday, Feb. 4 @ 2:30PM: City Center Place (1400 7th Ave North)
Thursday, Feb. 5 @ 2PM: UAB Campus (Behind the 9th Ave Parking Deck)
Friday, Feb. 6 @ 10AM: Bessemer Rec Center (100 14th Street South)
Saturday, Feb. 7 @ 9:30AM: Trinity Baptist Church (900 Graymont Ave West)