PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The pop-up grocery store on a vacant lot at 17th and Montrose streets looks like a tiny house, but its purpose is much greater.
For the past year, the Mama-Tee Community Fridge Project has offered free nutritious food items like eggs, milk, vegetables and fruit to those in need. It started with a couple of community refrigerators across various parts of the city — now there are 18, with the addition of the pop-up grocery store in Graduate Hospital.
Mama-Tee is testing the new store in Graduate Hospital first, then it will move to a more food-insecure neighborhood.
"This neighborhood was a good opportunity," said founder Michelle Nelson. "One, we got the land to use, and two, we wanted to test the system out. We wanted to test things out first, and now this structure is mobile so it can be moved from this land at any time, and it will be moved and go to a neighborhood that really needs it."
The pop-up store serves as a gathering and distribution hub of Mama-Tee food donations. Volunteers can go to the store to gather the items needed to stock the community fridges.
Those in need of food on a steadier basis can register there, too, if unable to do so online.
In about two weeks, neighbors can start helping out by purchasing specialty items on select days. Proceeds support the project.
Mama-Tee also has partnerships with Whole Foods and local food programs that donate food to the store.
According to Nelson, a single store can feed about 5,4000 people a month alone. With all 18 refrigerators, they can feed about 24,300 people a month.
