My awesome project is something that is near and dear to my heart- involving economic and environmental sustainability, good food, and community building through The Roaming Root- a mobile, local food market.

Before I had completely settled on the idea of bringing people closer to local food in a mobile venture, I saw The Bus for sale. Figuring that it would make a cool camper if nothing else, I bought it and the project has taken on a life of its own from there. I begin serving my community on March 6th and will continue year-round (with closures for low temperatures). We will sell everything from produce, shelf-stable food items, some skin and bath care products, and dog treats. Everything we sell will be made or grown in Alaska, and products will be sourced from as close to the interior as possible, though anything in the state is considered.

My goal is not just to sell people food, but to build a community around local food. I aim to accomplish this through membership programs and by giving 1% of all our sales to a local non-profit that either promotes food security or access to food for less advantaged populations, or works toward preserving our wild spaces or counteracting the effects of climate change. The receiving organization will change quarterly.

Most importantly, I want to build a support community around small producers that work so hard to feed us, but do not have either the reach or time to really market their products. In order for our producers to really thrive, they need 12-month access to their markets, and consumers want the same thing. I do not want to compete with the farmers’ markets or businesses that are already operating, I want to supplement what they do.