Lowcountry Street Grocery brings iconic ‘Nellbus’ to Folly for fresh produce
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
You may have driven down Center Street recently and noticed a dark green and white school bus on the corner of West Erie and wondered what the heck that was all about. Well, her name is Nell (or Nellbus) and she’s a 1988 Ford B700 bus. She’s also the mascot and mobile market for Lowcountry Street Grocery (LSG), a mission-driven local market and food pharmacy intent on making fresh, local food accessible, and affordable for everyone in the Charleston community.
“She’s a vital part of Charleston’s community fabric,” says LSG founder Lindsey Barrow Jr. “Not many businesses can call so many unique neighborhoods home. We’ve seen folks move, watched kids grow-up, and walk groceries to elders’ homes. Nellbus is truly for everyone, by everyone. Nothing is more Charleston than that.”
And now, thanks to the efforts of the Folly Beach Civic Club (FBCC), Nellbus will be making a bi-monthly appearance on Folly Beach.
“The Folly Beach Civic Club is always looking for ways to serve our community, so this seemed like something worth putting together. We all have to eat, and who doesn’t love a locally-grown tomato, farm-fresh eggs, or local greens?” says FBCC president Amy Ray, who first introduced the idea to the board during its January planning meeting as a way to serve the entire community (residents, visitors, workers, and even our neighbors on James Island). “In addition to the local items, they also offer other food options, think lemons, limes, etc., to help round out your mid-week shopping.
According to Barrow, LSG is like a multi-tool for a healthier, more robust local food economy. “Much more than meets the eye, we operate a sliding scale mobile farmers’ market, an online local food delivery service, as well as a clinical food is medicine program for folks struggling with diet-related illness,” says Barrow. “We are their grocery store. We take it one step further and connect many of these producers to Charleston’s disadvantaged populations so that the highest quality, local foods are available to those that need it most.”
Barrow says LSG’s mission is two-fold. The first is to provide reliable, affordable, fresh food access to their neighbors who need it most: those experiencing social, financial, or transportation disadvantages that may preclude them from equitable food access and security. He points out that South Carolina’s food insecurity rate is 18 percent higher than the national average. Secondly, LSG provides a reliable, direct-to-consumer outlet for local farmers and producers. LSG works with nearly 250 local and regional farmers and producers.
“Sourcing local produce is not always as easy as going to the grocery store, and there are many great farmers markets in the area, but it can be difficult to work them into our weekly schedules,” says Ray. “Lowcountry Street Grocery’s mobile ‘Nellbus’ gives us an option we can count on two times a month, and it’s super convenient.”
According to Ray, the response on Folly has been great. She hopes interest continues to grow so that Folly Beach remains a stop on the LSG schedule for as long as possible. This month’s schedule for Lowcountry Street Grocery is Wednesday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 26, and every two weeks after that.
Supporting local farmers and food purveyors is also a good way to keep money in the Charleston area. Burrow claims that simply by buying produce on the Nellbus, close to 90 percent of your purchase will stay right here within our community. “With a portion going directly to our programming that prioritizes low-income, low-access neighbors and folks that might need a little assistance. Win, win, win,” he says. “On the contrary, purchases at national chains only put about 30 percent of your dollars back into our community.”
Though almost at capacity, Community Supported Grocery, LSG’s convenient local food delivery arm, is another way to get involved without much effort, according to Barrow.
“We’ll save you a trip to the grocery store and deliver far better food right to your doorstep. CSG members also get access to an a la carte online retail experience with over 500 products including bread, pasture-raised meats, cheese, pastas, vegan options, regular stuff, and so much more.”
Lowcountry Street Grocery sets up on the corner of Center Street and W. Erie Avenue every other Wednesday, from 4-6 p.m. For more information, visit www.communitysupportedgrocery.com.
